


Tragic Life Changes

by JasonMorganfan87



Category: Lucifer (TV)
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Gen, Parent Lucifer Morningstar (Lucifer TV), Protective Lucifer Morningstar (Lucifer TV), Trixie Decker & Lucifer Morningstar Bonding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-28
Updated: 2019-07-24
Packaged: 2019-09-01 15:26:03
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 34
Words: 66,649
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16767835
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JasonMorganfan87/pseuds/JasonMorganfan87
Summary: Set in the beginning of season 3.  A tragic accident involving Chloe and Dan forces Lucifer to take on responsibilities and life changes he never thought he would.  Can he handle it along with his own pain?  And is Chloe truly lost to him?





	1. Chapter 1

Lucifer walked into Chloe Decker’s home. He was bored and decided to see what she was up to. Perhaps there was a new case to be solved. He found the detective there with Maze and the child. “Hello, Detective.”

“Will you ever knock?” Chloe asked with annoyance in her voice. Normally she’d just accept Lucifer’s quirks. It had been two years since they began working together. She was used to his uniqueness by now. However, she was having a really bad day. 

“Lucifer!” Trixie yelled before running to him and grabbing his hand. Unlike normal, the child didn’t have her usual happiness. “Tell Mommy not to go.”

“Yes, of course, child,” Lucifer said before looking to his partner. “Don’t go, Detective.”

Chloe rolled her eyes. “You don’t even know where I’m going.”

“No, but it’s clearly somewhere you shouldn’t given your offspring’s sourness, and far given the bag on the couch,” Lucifer said as he pointed towards the duffle bag right behind the detective.

Chloe sighed. “I’m going to Florida to pick up a fugitive wanted by our department.”

“Isn’t that Maze’s job?” Lucifer asked.

“My job is to catch them. This one’s already caught,” Maze said.

“They wouldn’t trust this guy on a bounty hunter anyway. He’s high profile and his crimes are severe. That’s also why the department is sending us rather than letting Miami PD transport him here. Pierce doesn’t want to take any chances,” Chloe explained.

“Mommy, please don’t go,” Trixie begged as she ran back over to her mother. 

Chloe sighed and knelt down in front of her daughter. “Monkey, I’m not gonna be gone long. I’ll be back by the time you wake up Saturday. That’s only two days.”

“But you and Daddy will both be gone,” Trixie said sadly. It wasn’t uncommon for her daddy to leave sometimes for work, but her mommy didn’t usually leave, and they were never gone at the same time. 

Chloe winced. This was a first for her daughter. She’d never had to deal with both her parents out of town. Chloe didn’t like it much either, so she understood why Trixie didn’t.

“Wait, Daniel’s going too? Why? I’m your partner,” Lucifer protested with a hint of jealousy.

Chloe glared at him. She did not need to deal with another child right now, especially one in the form of a grown man. “You want to come with me to pick up a criminal and then babysit him until we get back. There’s no fun case to solve. No partying, nothing to entertain you.”

Lucifer thought about it for a minute. “Yes, perhaps Daniel is more appropriate.”

“Uh huh,” Chloe said before turning back to Trixie. “Look, I’ll be back before you know it. Maze will be here with you at night, and the babysitter will take you to and from school.”

“You promise you’ll be back Saturday?” Trixie asked. She was still far from happy, but she knew there wasn’t anything she could do about it.

“Yes, I promise. And when I get back, we’ll do something really fun. Maybe we can go to the beach,” Chloe said.

Trixie smiled a little. “Okay.”

Chloe sighed in relief. With that disaster over, she could get this crappy assignment and get back home in a couple of days. Given her complicated life, she should’ve known it would never be that easy.”

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Chloe sat next to Dan on the plane as they flew to Miami. He seemed no more pleased about the operation than she did. 

“Why do we have to be the ones to do this again?” Dan asked.

“Well, Pierce doesn’t like you, so that’s why you have to go. I’m not sure why he’s making me do it. Maybe he doesn’t like me either,” Chloe said.

“Gee, thanks,” Dan said sarcastically. 

“I don’t want to do this anymore than you do. Trixie was not happy to find out we were leaving. By the way, you could’ve been there to help me explain it to her,” Chloe told him.

“I wanted to, but I had a ton of paperwork to finish. Not doing so wouldn’t make the new Lieutenant like me any better,” Dan said.

Chloe decided not to argue with him. She wasn’t in the mood to fight. She just wanted to get this over with. 

“Why couldn’t we take a private plane?” Dan asked. It seemed to him that if they were forced with this stupid assignment, they should at least get the perk of a private plane. 

“Pierce didn’t want to use the resources. Hence, we’re going back on Miami’s dime with a private plane. It’s not gonna kill us to fly commercially,” Chloe said. 

As if she had spoken too soon, they start to feel some bumps as they flew. 

“What the hell?” Chloe asked, slightly on edge.

“I’m sure it’s just turbulence,” Dan said.

Just then, the pilot went over the intercom. “Everything’s fine everyone. We just have a bit of turbulence.”

“See,” Dan said with a smirk.

Chloe nodded. “I think this whole damned trip just has me on edge. I think I’m just waiting for everything in the world to go wrong.

“Yeah, I know how you feel. This whole thing sucks, but it’ll be fine. It should be nice and simple. We get the bastard, bring him home, and then it’s over. Nice and easy, even if annoying,” Dan said.

Just then, there were more bumps, and then the plane seemed to dive down, causing many passengers to scream.

“Dan!” Chloe exclaimed with fear in her voice.

Dan looked back at her with just as much fear. They were going down. There wasn’t much denying that. Unless the pilot managed to pull off a miracle, they were going to crash. 

Chloe and Dan both looked at each other, both thinking the same thing. They were going to die, and their daughter would be left alone.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Lucifer was woken up at the sound of his phone ringing. He turned away, promptly ignoring it. It stopped after about five rings only start again seconds later.

Lucifer huffed before turning over and picking up the phone. He saw that it was Ella and picked it up. “Ms. Lopez, it is after four in the morning. Even the Devil needs to sleep.”

 _“Lucifer, you need to get down to the station now,”_ Ella said. It was obvious in her voice that she’d been crying.

Lucifer sat up. “What’s wrong Ms. Lopez. 

_“It’s Chloe and Dan. The plane went down._


	2. Chapter 2

Lucifer burst into the police station. He’d hung up on Ella the moment she said the plane went down and rushed over as quickly as possible. He quickly surveyed the area and found Ella near the detective’s death speaking with an officer. He immediately ran over. “Ms. Lopez!”

Ella turned to him. “Hi, Lucifer. We don’t…”

“What happened?” Lucifer immediately cut her off. 

“Chloe and Dan ever made it to the hotel, nor did they check in with Miami PD. Pierce made some calls and found out that the flight they took had complications. The engine failed. The plane went down in Arizona. An officer who knew I was close to them and you called me in,” Ella explained.

Lucifer felt the fear in the pit of his body flow through the rest of his body. “But the detective is okay, isn’t she? She and Daniel made it out safely.

“We don’t know anything yet, Lucifer. Pierce is on the phone with the authorities out there,” Ella said.

“I should’ve gone with her,” Lucifer said a few moments later. He should’ve insisted on going with the detective. He was her partner. He was supposed to be there to help her. If he was there, he could’ve helped her. How could he have not been there to help her?

“Hey, you couldn’t have done anything even if you had been there,” Ella said.

Lucifer wanted to scream that she was wrong. He could’ve done something. He could’ve flown Chloe out of the plane. If he’d been there, he knew she’d be safe right now. Instead she could… No. He refused to even finish that thought. Chloe was fine. She was an incredibly strong woman. She was not going to let something like this take away her life. “Has anyone called the local hospitals. By now, the victim’s have probably been taken to the hospital.”

“I don’t think so. Pierce has been trying to get information from the police. That’s been difficult. No one seem to know anything. It makes sense. A plane crashing is a huge disaster,” Ella said.

“I’m going to try the detective’s cell,” Lucifer said.

“We already did,” Ella said to no avail. It seemed he was determined to talk to Chloe. She couldn’t blame him. She knew how close the two of them were. She even speculated that there was more than friendship trying to boil to the surface. 

Lucifer was extremely dismayed when the phone went straight to voicemail, but he wasn’t deterred. He immediately tried again. 

“Lucifer, her phone’s probably dead. Oh, man, poor choice of words. Look, it was probably damaged in the crash,” Ella said.

“I’ve got news,” I voice called out somberly. 

Lucifer recognized Lieutenant Pierce and immediately went over to him. Ella, and most of the station moved closer as well. “How badly injured is the Detective? What hospital have she and Daniel been taken to, Lieutenant?”

Pierce looked hesitant to answer.

“Lieutenant, are they okay?” Ella asked.

Pierce cleared his throat and addressed the group. “The plane that Detectives Decker and Espinoza were on crashed in a field. It exploded moments later.”

“Exploded?” Lucifer asked in a shaky voice. His hands shook just as much, and his heart was beating rapidly.

“Yes. The officer I talked to thinks it’s very unlikely that there are any survivors,” Pierce said.

“Oh, God!” Ella cried. Her friends were dead. That was what the Lieutenant was saying. He was saying there was little to no change that Chloe and Dan had survived. They were gone in an instinct. And they had a daughter. Their little girl would never see her parents again.

Lucifer shook his head. He refused to believe it. They weren’t dead. He would not believe that Chloe was gone. He couldn’t. “They… They haven’t found their bodies yet, correct?”

“No. They’ve barely started at the scene,” Pierce answered.

“Then they can’t say there are no survivors. They don’t know who may have lived or who hasn’t,” Lucifer said

“Lucifer, the plane exploded. Even if they survived the crash, do you really think they could survive an explosion on top of it?” Pierce asked.

“She is not dead!” Lucifer yelled.

“Maybe he’s right. Maybe there is still some hope,” Ella said. It seemed unlikely, but she really didn’t want to give her two friends up for dead. She wanted to believe a miracle would happen. 

“Far be it from me to tell you not to hope, but at this point, I think we should be realistic,” Pierce said.

“Tell me the address of the crash,” Lucifer said. He was going to go there himself and find Chloe. He would prove that she wasn’t dead.

“Why? Are you gonna fly down there, Lucifer? Even if you did, what do you think you’ll be able to do?” Pierce asked.

“Tell me!” Lucifer demanded.

After some slight hesitance, Pierce did so.

Without another word, Lucifer headed out the door.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Lucifer arrived in the middle of the scene seconds later. Thanks to the hectic scene, no one noticed him fly in. Lucifer looked around in frantic search of his detective. He didn’t find her, but what he did find terrified him. He saw the plane, or what was left of it anyway. It looked like nothing more than a pile of rubble. There were several bodies around it, or what was left of the bodies. Most looked so badly burnt they were unrecognizable. Others were in pieces. There those with missing limbs. There didn’t appear to be any living passengers around.

Lucifer watched as one body was zipped up into a body bag. He couldn’t tell if it had been male or female, but he couldn’t help but wonder if that was his beloved detective. The thought nearly broke him. Chloe Decker, the vibrant woman he’d seen just yesterday being stored away in a large black bag.

Lucifer was pulled back to reality by a voice from right next to him. “Sir, how’d you get in here? You have to leave.”

“Did anyone survive?” Lucifer asked.

“Sir, you can’t be here.”

“My partner was on that plane, so was her ex-husband. They have a young child,” Lucifer said, almost stoically. 

The man winced. “I’m sorry, sir.”

“There… There must be some chance that…”

“No, sir. We’re not even looking for survivors. We’re strictly working on recovery,” he said.

“You’re giving up! How can you? It’s your job to save people!” Lucifer yelled.

“It was too late before we even got here. No one could survive something like this. I’m sorry, but you need to leave. This area isn’t safe right now,” he said.

Lucifer took one more look at the plane that had in all likelihood taken the life of the woman he loved before mindlessly walking away. He flew back home after getting away from the crowd.

Lucifer arrived at the penthouse and staggered to the bar. He grabbed the bottle of bourbon. He didn’t even bother pouring a glass. He just drank it straight from the bottle. He drank almost half the bottle before throwing against the wall in a fit of rage. Then he turned over the entire bar. He then moved onto the furniture. His entire living room was in shambles before he fell to the floor and began crying uncontrollably. Chloe was most likely dead, and every part of him wanted to go with her. 


	3. Chapter 3

Lucifer woke up on the floor of his penthouse. There were several empty bottles of liquor next to him, as well as a half-full one. There was also broken glass, upturned furniture, and stay objects all around him. He wasn’t sure what time it was, but he assumed it was the evening. He looked out the window and saw that it was getting dark.

Lucifer wished he could say he didn’t remember how he got like this, but he did. He remembered trying to get as drunk as he could after the devastating news regarding his detective. He could still hear Pierce’s words and see the devastation of the scene of the plane crash. 

Lucifer wanted to hope that Chloe was still alive, and a part of him did, but the majority of him flashed back to the scene of the accident and knew that no human could survive such devastation. Explosions could occasionally be survived, but not one that big. You could hardly tell that plane had even been a plane, and the bodies had been completely destroyed. Still, a small amount of hope remained. He wouldn’t get rid of it until he saw the… Until they found her.

Lucifer soon heard the ringing of his cellphone. He stumbled to his feet and went in search of it. He found it by the overturned couch. He looked at the screen and saw that Maze had called. He didn’t answer. He just waited until she hung up. Once he did, he noticed that she’d called him twelve times in the past several hours. Linda had called six times and Amenadiel four. It seemed word had travelled.

Lucifer pocketed his phone and went back over to grab the half-full bottle of bourbon. He was about to take a gulp when he heard the elevator ding and the doors open. He didn’t turn to see who it was. He didn’t care. Unless you’re here to tell me the detective has been found alive, leave.”

“Luci, I’m sorry,” A sympathetic and sad voice said. 

Lucifer recognized the voice of his brother, but he still didn’t turn around. “That’s a ‘no’ then. Get out.”

“We’ve been calling you,” Amenadiel said.

Lucifer finally turned and glared at his brother. “Apparently you don’t understand the phrase ‘get out’.”

“The police station called Maze. She called both Linda and me. Linda’s at Chloe’s,” Amenadiel told him.

“I don’t care,” Lucifer said shortly.

“You shouldn’t be alone right now, Lucifer,” Amenadiel said.

“The woman I love is most likely gone. Alone with several bottles of liquor is exactly where I need to be,” Lucifer said. Right now, he hated everything, especially himself. He wished he was dead. No, not just dead, obliterated. If only he still had the Flaming Sword. He would’ve made that wish a reality. No matter. He’d be returning to Hell as soon as everyone’s fears were confirmed. There was nothing left to stay for now. Perhaps when he went back to Hell, he’d find a way to fulfill his wish.

“That’s the first time you’ve admitted that you loved her,” Amenadiel said. Lucifer had admitted to feelings for Chloe when they were going to start a relationship, but he never spoke of love. It wasn’t surprising. Lucifer wasn’t good at admitting his feelings, especially where Chloe was concerned. He was sent reeling when he found out their father had put Chloe in his path.

“There’s not much point of denying it now, is there?” Lucifer asked.

“Lucifer, I think you should come back to Chloe and Maze’s with me. I don’t want you to be alone,” Amenadiel said.

“I’m not going…” Lucifer was cut off by his phone making a noise. This time it was a text message alert. It came from Maze’s phone, but he learned after reading the message that she didn’t send it.

_‘Lucifer, it’s Trixie. Can you please come over? I think something’s wrong.’_

Lucifer closed his eyes sadly. The child. She didn’t know yet that her parents were presumed dead. She was asking him to come to her. Unlike the others, Lucifer couldn’t ignore her like the others. He couldn’t ignore a request from Chloe’s daughter now. “Alright. Let me shower.”

Amenadiel was surprised by his brother’s change of heart, but he certainly didn’t argue.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Lucifer led the way into the house. Maze was in the kitchen with Linda and Ella.

“Hey, Lucifer. You don’t look too good,” Ella said.

“Is there any news from the Lieutenant, Ms. Lopez?” Lucifer asked.

Ella shook her head. “It’ll probably be over a week before they’ve even recovered all the bodies. There were about three hundred passengers on board. Pierce says the state of the bodies was bad. It could be months before everyone is identified.

“Wonderful,” Lucifer said sarcastically.

Linda spoke next. “Lucifer, how are you doing? You were closer to Chloe than anyone. Whatever you need us to…”

“With all due respect, Doctor, I’m not in the mood to be analyzed right now,” Lucifer cut off.

“I’m not talking to you as a shrink, Lucifer. I’m talking to you as a friend,” Linda said.

“I’m not in the mood for friendship either,” he said.

“Then why’d you come,” Maze asked curiously.

“Lucifer!”

They all turned to see Trixie running towards Lucifer and grabbing onto him. 

For once, Lucifer didn’t shrink away from the child.

“Thanks for coming,” Trixie said before pulling away.

“She called you,” Maze realized. That was why he came. He couldn’t deny Decker’s child something hours after her death. 

“Hello, child,” Lucifer said in a sad voice.

“Are you okay?” Trixie asked with slight fear in her voice. She’d already figured out something was wrong. Maze had been different when she got home from school. She looked kind of sad, and Maze was never sad. Plus, people her mommy and daddy worked with were at her house. No one they worked with usually came over, except for Lucifer, but that was because he was also Mommy’s friend. Now Lucifer looked really sad. Trixie felt like something bad happened.

Lucifer cleared his throat and avoided the question. “You asked me to come. What do you need, child?”

“Something’s wrong,” Trixie said.

“No, everything’s going to be okay,” Ella said after a minute. There was a thick silence before that, and she knew it was scaring the kid. Someone had to say something.

“No, it’s not! Lucifer’s sad. I’m gonna call my mommy,” Trixie said before running from the room.

“Trix, don’t!” Maze called after her. She thought about running after her, but she had no idea what she was supposed to say.

“You lied to her, Ms. Lopez,” Lucifer said in a disapproving tone. He didn’t condone lies, especially to children. They needed to trust adults around them.

“I know, but I didn’t know what to say. She was upset. We couldn’t tell her the truth,” Ella said.

“Somebody has to,” Amenadiel said.

“Who’s supposed to do that?” Maze asked.

Amenadiel, Linda, and Ella looked at her.

“Oh, no! Do not look at me like that. I am not doing it. I’m the last person that should,” Maze said. She could not deal with situations like this. She was fine with watching the kid. She liked Trixie. They got along well, but that was because Maze was the fun babysitter. They didn’t have deep conversation like this, and for good reason. She could not comfort a child who had just lost both her parents. “Why do you think I called you, Linda. You can handle things like this.”

Linda shook her head. “Trixie doesn’t know me. I cannot explain to a child who doesn’t know me that her parents are dead. It has to come from someone she trusts.”

“It doesn’t have to be tonight. It can wait until a family member shows up and we at least know for sure?” Ella asked.

“Decker and Espinoza were supposed to be back tomorrow. The kid will expect to see her mom then,” Maze said.

“Plus, like you said, it could be months before the bodies are found,” Amenadiel said.

Just then, Trixie ran back into the room and over to Lucifer. “Lucifer, Mommy’s not answering her phone. It’s off. She never turns it off.”

“Get out, all of you,” Lucifer said to the others. He had to tell her. He certainly didn’t want to. He was no better at this than Maze, but he needed to do it. Not only did the child need to know, but he just felt like it needed to be from him.

“Whoa, this is a bad idea,” Maze said. This was like her telling the kid, maybe even worse.

“I said leave.”

Amenadiel, Ella, and Linda headed for the door. Maze hesitated and went towards her bedroom. 

“Lucifer?” Trixie asked with a much distress in her voice.

“Come here, Trixie,” Lucifer said as he held out his hand.

Trixie became even more afraid as she took his hand. Lucifer never invited her to touch him, and he rarely called her by her name. He said it was a hooker’s name, even if she didn’t know what that was.

Lucifer brought her over to the couch and sat down. He then stared at the child in silence, trying to discover what the right way to tell her was. He’d never had to try to find the words to tell anyone anything. He just said them. This was different. He couldn’t just simply come out with the words. 

“I want my mommy,” Trixie started to cry. Lucifer was about to tell her something really bad, and she wanted her mother there with her. It made it even worse that she was pretty sure this bad thing was about her mommy.

“I do too, child,” Lucifer told her quietly.

“She’s coming home tomorrow, right?”

“No,” Lucifer said sadly.

“But she promised. Mommy doesn’t break her promises,” Trixie said through her tears. Her daddy broke promises sometimes, but not her mommy. She always did what she said she would. She had to come home tomorrow.

“Sh…She didn’t mean to break her promise. She couldn’t help it. Trixie, your mother and father were in an accident. Their plane crashed last night,” Lucifer told her.

“Are they okay?” a fearful Trixie asked.

Lucifer took several breaths. He struggled to not only tell the child, but to not fall apart in front of her. He was usually good at hiding his emotions, but right now, he was seconds from falling apart. “It…It is not likely that they survived.”

Trixie took a step back and tears started to stream down her face. “Mommy and Daddy are dead?”

Lucifer nodded, unable to do anything else. 

“No!” Trixie yelled before running into Lucifer’s arms. “You have to make them come back, Lucifer! Please!”

Lucifer didn’t even realize what he was doing before he felt his arms moving around the young child, holding her tightly in his arms. This was the only person in the entire world who loved Chloe more than he did. Her grief was nearly the same as his. For that reason, it seemed only fitting that they grieve together.

“I want my mommy and daddy!” Trixie cried.

Lucifer gathered the child up in his arms and place her on his lap. He let her cling to him and cry on his shoulder, and he even let his own tears out.


	4. Chapter 4

Lucifer woke up the next morning on the couch. He hadn’t been able to go home the night before. Trixie had nearly cried herself to sleep, and as he was taking her to bed, she begged him not to leave. He couldn’t deny her.

“No, I don’t want it!” Lucifer heard the young child yell as he woke up.

“Kid, you have to eat something,” Maze was saying.

“No! Leave me alone!”

Lucifer got up and made this way to the kitchen. Trixie was seated at the table while Maze was standing next to her. “What is this racket?”

Maze turned to him. “She won’t eat.”

Lucifer peered into the bowl that was in front of the child. It was a bowl of cereal that looked soggy and unappetizing. “Well, look at what you’re trying to feed her. I wouldn’t eat that either. I’ll make you some pancakes, child.”

“I’m not hungry,” Trixie said.

“Come now, child, you must eat. I’ll put some chocolate chips in the pancakes,” Lucifer tried to bribe.

Trixie shook her head. She folded her arms onto the table and put her head down on them. 

“Well, would you like something else? Perhaps some bacon and eggs? I’ll get you anything you want,” Lucifer said. 

“I want my mommy and daddy,” Trixie said miserably. 

Lucifer sighed sadly. It was one of the few things that were beyond his power to give. He’d do it in a second if he was able, not just for the child, but for himself as well. He wished more than anything he had the power to bring Chloe back to the both of them. He would do the same for Daniel if he could. But he couldn’t bring either of them back. 

Lucifer knelt down beside the child. “I know, child. I wish I could bring them back.”

“Why can’t you? You’re the Devil. You can do anything,” Trixie said.

“I wish it were that simple, child. I don’t have the power to bring them back. I would’ve already done so,” Lucifer told her.

“It’s not fair. Why’d God take them away?” Trixie asked.

“I don’t know, but should I ever see him again, I will ask,” Lucifer said. He’d ask and the punch the bastard. “Will you please eat something for me? I know you’re not very hungry, but you do need to eat.”

“Will you eat with me?” Trixie asked.

“Of course,” Lucifer said.

“Okay,” Trixie finally agreed reluctantly.

“Excellent. What would you like?” Lucifer asked.

Trixie shrugged her shoulders. She didn’t care what she ate. She was only doing it to make Lucifer happy. She knew he was just as sad as she was, and she wanted to make him feel a little better.

“Alright, I’ll surprise you,” Lucifer said before standing up.

Suddenly there was a knock at the door. Maze went and answered it to find Linda there. “Hey.”

“Hi. How is everything going?” Linda asked.

“How do you think. Decker’s still dead, and everything is Hell. Actually, no, it’s worse than Hell. I actually liked Hell,” Maze said. She certainly wasn’t going to say it out loud, but she wasn’t unaffected by Chloe’s death. She didn’t like the detective at first. She thought she made Lucifer weak and vulnerable. But she’d gotten to know her. They became roommates, and she’d even say she considered the woman a friend. Again, she wouldn’t say it out loud, but it hit her hard when she heard the news of the plane crash and explosion. 

“Did Lucifer tell Trixie?” Linda asked.

Maze looked over to see Trixie sitting in misery while Lucifer cooked for her. “Yeah. Come on, let’s talk outside.”

Meanwhile, Lucifer was at the stove making breakfast. He kept it simple with just some scrambled eggs. He knew the child wasn’t going to want to eat much. She was only doing it because he asked her to.

Once it was done, Lucifer piled some eggs onto two plates and brought them to the table. Then he got Trixie a glass of orange juice before sitting down next to her.

“Lucifer, are Mommy and Daddy in Heaven?” Trixie asked before taking a small bite of his eggs.

“There is no doubt in my mind that your mother is in Heaven,” Lucifer said. Chloe was a wonderful person. There was no one more deserving of making it into Heaven than her.

“What about Daddy?” she asked.

“He could be too,” Lucifer said. It was much too close to a lie for his liking. While Lucifer didn’t know for sure, there was very little doubt that Daniel was in Hell. Lucifer knew that everything with Malcolm had still weighed heavily on the man’s conscience. But he was not about to tell Trixie that. True or not, she needed to believe that both her parents were in a good place.

Thankfully, Trixie seemed to take Lucifer’s words to mean that her father was in Heaven. “Can people in Heaven hear us when we talk to them?” Trixie asked.

“I’m afraid not. People like to think that their loved ones are watching over them from Heaven, but that’s not actually the case. But they are very happy. Heaven is a wonderful place for people who have died. They don’t have anymore problems. They’re just at peace,” Lucifer explained.

“That’s good. It means they won’t be hurt anymore. I still wish they were here though,” Trixie said sadly before taking another bite of her food.

“So do I,” Lucifer said before he too started eating. 

“What’s gonna happen to me now, Lucifer?” Trixie asked. Her mommy and daddy were both gone. She was all alone now. It really scared her. Who was gonna take care of her now.

Before Lucifer could answer, Maze and Linda came back in. Pierce trailed in behind them. “Lucifer, your boss stopped by,” Maze said.

Lucifer glowered at the lieutenant. “What do you want?”

“Who’s he?” Trixie asked.

Pierce smiled at the kid. “Hi. You’re Trixie, right? I’m Lieutenant Pierce. I worked with your mom and dad. I was their boss.”

Trixie got up and walked over to the man. She glared at him as hard as she could. “You took them away!”

“What?” Pierce asked caught off guard.

“Mommy and Daddy left because you made them! You made them take the plane,” Trixie said.

“It…It was their job,” was all Pierce said.

“They died because you made them go!” Trixie cried before running from the room.

Pierce looked at Lucifer. “Decker and Espinoza died in a plane crash. It wasn’t my doing.”

“Yes, feel free to let that comfort you while an eight-year-old contemplates life as an orphan,” Lucifer sneered. Honestly, he didn’t disagree with Trixie. While it might seem unreasonable to blame the lieutenant, all Lucifer could see was Chloe would be alive if Pierce hadn’t sent her and Daniel out of the state. “What did you come here for?”

“Well, I was trying to get information on Decker and Espinoza’s family. They need to be contacted, especially since there’s a kid involved,” Pierce said.

“What do you care? They were just subordinates to you. Why would you involve yourself in the aftermath of their… deaths?” Lucifer asked. He supposed the police might get involved to make notifications, but certainly not a police lieutenant. Perhaps he did feel guilty about sending Chloe and Daniel away.

“They worked for me. I want to help in any way I can. Like I said, things have to be done, especially with their child. If a family member can’t be found, we’ll have to contact Child Services,” Pierce said.

Lucifer stood up and glared at him menacingly. “If Child Services shows up at this house, I will personally send you to hell!”

“Lieutenant, I think you should give us some breathing room,” Linda stated. “It’s been less than two full days since Chloe and Dan died. Their bodies haven’t even been recovered yet.”

“There is no doubt that they’re gone. No one could survive an explosion like that,” Pierce said.

“Yeah, thanks for that. I think we figured it out ourselves. Get out. Anything that needs to happen will without help from you,” Maze said irritably. This guy pissed her off to no end. She thought she was direct and unfeeling, but she had nothing on this guy.

Pierce nodded and walked towards the door.

“He might be an ass, but he has a point,” Linda said after he was gone. “I decision about Trixie has to be made.”

“Decker’s mother is alive. Someone will have to call her,” Maze said.

“The detective wouldn’t have wanted the child to be raised by Penelope Decker. They don’t see eye to eye. I’m not even certain the woman will want to take care of another child at this point,” Lucifer said. He’d met Penelope Decker. She was a fine woman, but he wasn’t sure how well she’d be able to care for Trixie. Chloe certainly didn’t think much of her child rearing abilities.

“Did Dan have any family?” Linda asked.

“I don’t think so,” Lucifer said.

“Well, either way, Chloe’s mother has to be notified. I can do it if you’d like,” Linda said. She imagined that Lucifer didn’t want to do it. He’d already had to tell Trixie, and she could just imagine how awful that was for him. While it wasn’t ideal for a mother to find out that her child was dead from a stranger, there didn’t seem to be much choice.

“Thank you, Doctor. I’ll find her contact information later,” Lucifer said before heading out of the room.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Pierce sat in his car and waited. Soon, a figure appeared next to him. “It’s about time. Where have you been?”

“I’m not at your beckon call, Cain,” the man said.

“We had a deal. Why am I not dead yet?” Pierce asked.

“Believe me, after what you just did, no one wants you dead more than me,” he said with a glare.

“I did what you asked me to,” Pierce said defensively.

“I didn’t ask you to blow up three hundred people!” he growled.

“It was the only way. I had to make sure Decker was far away Lucifer, so he couldn’t come to her rescue, and I had to make it look like an accident. There couldn’t be any tying it to foul play, not with the Devil himself ready to avenge it,” Pierce said. A plane crash was the best way to avoid that. It was thousands of miles away, and it involved hundreds of people, which meant Lucifer wouldn’t even consider the possibility that his partner was targeted. It was unfortunate that Espinoza and the rest of those people had to die too, but he’d do whatever it took

“What do you care? You would’ve been dead anyway. Regardless, I said I’d help you die once Lucifer went back to Hell. That has yet to happen, and still may not because you screwed up,” he said.

“He’ll go soon enough. Right after the bodies are identified. And what do you mean I screwed up? I did what you wanted,” Pierce said.

The man looked directly at him. “No, you didn’t. Chloe Decker is not dead.”


	5. Chapter 5

Lucifer was standing in the living room getting ready for Chloe and Daniel’s funerals. It had been about a week since the plane crash. Penelope Decker had returned to LA and planned the funerals.

Lucifer had no particular desire to attend the funeral. He would much rather stay home and drink himself unconscious, but the child needed him to be there, and that seemed to be all that was getting him through every day. Making sure Trixie had what she needed.

Soon, Lucifer heard the door open. He looked over to see Penelope.

“Hello, Lucifer,” Penelope said.

“Penelope,” Lucifer greeted.

“Did you stay here again last night? Have you even been home since…? since it happened,” Penelope asked somberly.

“No. I suppose I’ll go home once you’ve taken the child,” Lucifer said. Honestly, he had mixed feelings on that. The child clearly needed to go with her grandmother. While it wasn’t the most ideal situation, the woman was the only family the child had left. However, Lucifer had become pretty used to having Trixie around lately. She was helping him survive each day. He never thought before this all happened that he’d miss the offspring, but he would.

Just then, Maze came out with Trixie, who wasn’t dressed to go. “We’ve got a problem,” Maze said.

“Trixie, dear, you need to get dressed. We’ll be late,” Penelope said.

“I don’t want to go. Do I have to?” Trixie asked.

“Of course, you…”

“No,” Lucifer cut Penelope off. “You don’t have to go if you don’t want to, but I think it might upset you later if you don’t.”

“I don’t get why we have to have a funeral anyway. What does it mean?” Trixie asked.

“People mostly use them to say goodbye. It makes some people feel better,” Lucifer told her.

“It’s not gonna make me feel better. I don’t want to say goodbye to Mommy and Daddy,” Trixie said with a pout.

“Trixie, it’s also how we honor people. You mom and dad deserve to be honored, don’t they?” Penelope asked. 

“But Mommy and Daddy are gone. They won’t see it. How does it honor them if they can’t see it?” Trixie asked.

“You do not have to go if you don’t want to,” Lucifer said.

“I don’t want to,” Trixie said before heading back to her bedroom.

“She has to go. She was their daughter. People will expect to see her there,” Penelope said.

“I don’t give a damn what people expect. She’s a child. Nothing should be expected of her. I am not going to force her to go and neither will you,” Lucifer said.

“Well, who will stay with her? It’s too late to get a babysitter,” she said.

“I will. I have no desire to attend either,” Lucifer said before going to follow Trixie.

“Lucifer,” Penelope called.

“Back off, Lady. Those two will grieve in their own way,” Maze said in an almost threatening tone. 

Xxxxxxxxxxx

“Do you think I’ll go to Heaven one day, Lucifer?” Trixie asked. She was laying on her bed on her stomach looking out the window at the sky.

Lucifer was sitting next to her on the bed. “Yes, of course. You’re just as good a person as your mother. There’s no possibility of you going anywhere else. However, you’ll need to be patient for that. It is nowhere near time for you to leave here.”

“Will, you go to Heaven too?” Trixie asked. 

“No. I’m not allowed in Heaven,” Lucifer said sadly. It was almost funny. He’d never cared about returning to Heaven. He’d have sooner returned to Hell. But now that Chloe was gone, he ached to return just to be with her. 

“Why not? You’re a good person too,” Trixie said.

“My family doesn’t think so,” he said.

“They’re stupid then,” Trixie said.

Lucifer chuckled. “Thank you, child.”

“Lucifer, I don’t want to leave. I want to stay here,” Trixie said. She knew she had to leave when her grandmother did, but she didn’t want to. This was her home. She didn’t want to leave the home she had had with her mom, and she didn’t want to leave Lucifer alone. He was really sad. He needed her. 

Neither of them noticed Penelope in the doorway.

“Don’t you think it would be best if you went to live with your grandmother? You can help each other, as you are both quite sad,” Lucifer said. 

“You’re sad too.”

“I will be fine, child. You needn’t worry,” Lucifer told her. 

“I’ll miss you,” she said sadly.

“I believe I will miss you as well, spawn,” Lucifer said. He never thought he’d say those words before, but he meant them.

Trixie crawled into his lap and hugged him.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Later that night, Lucifer walked out to the kitchen after having put Trixie to bed. He found Penelope and Maze there. “Penelope, I thought you’d left for the night.”

“Not yet. I wanted to talk to you first. I think I’m going to leave in the morning,” Penelope said.

“What?” Lucifer asked in disbelief. “You can’t. Trixie isn’t ready to leave. She isn’t packed, nor at all prepared to leave this house. You need to at least give her a few days!”

“I’m not taking her,” Penelope said.

“What?” Maze asked shocked.

“Look, I was prepared to take Trixie with me, but it’s not right for her. I was a terrible mother. I have come to accept that. Which is why Chloe would hate for me to take her daughter,” Penelope said sadly. Her and her daughter never had a decent relationship. She hated that fact. She hated that they never truly made things right.

“Perhaps, but do you think she’d like her child in Foster Care any better,” Lucifer asked through gritted teeth

“That’s certainly not my intentions. I want what’s best for Trixie. That’s not me or a foster home. It’s you,” she said.

“Me?” Lucifer asked in utter shock. Surely, he must have heard her wrong. She couldn’t possibly be suggesting that he raise the child. That was absolutely absurd. 

“Trixie loves you. I’ve seen you together the last few days. She looks to you when she needs something, even comfort over the loss of her parents. And you have given it all to her. You are better for her than I am. You proved that just today. Trixie didn’t want to go to the funeral. I was going to make her, but you saw that that wasn’t’ the right thing to do. You realized that she didn’t need some event to say goodbye to her parents,” Penelope told him.

“I can’t take care of a child,” Lucifer said, still flabbergasted that this conversation was even taking place. It was absolutely ridiculous. Anyone who knew him knew that he shouldn’t be around children, let alone be allowed to raise one. Chloe certainly knew that. She wouldn’t want this.

“You already are. I’ve seen it. You’re the one who feeds her. You put her to bed every day. You listen to her as she rambles, and you answer all her questions about her parents and what happened to them,” Penelope said.

“Damn. I didn’t even notice, but she’s right,” Maze said. You’re the one that gets up with the kid every day. Whenever she needs something, you’re the one that provides it. We both know you’d love to lose yourself in your grief. You like nothing more than to back… home. You don’t because of Trix.”

Lucifer blinked in surprise. He hadn’t really noticed either. It was like he was working on autopilot. The things he did for the child, they didn’t really register to him. He just did them. He didn’t take the time to think about them. 

“You may find this hard to believe, but I think Chloe would want this. You loved my daughter. I can see that. I think she’d want the two people who loved her most to be together. No one has the power to help Trixie the way you have, and I believe the opposite is true as well. You need each other,” Penelope said. 

“I don’t know how to be a parent,” Lucifer said, still in complete disbelief that this was actually happening. He wasn’t actually that opposed to the idea, but he was afraid of screwing it up. He knew very little about children.

“You keep doing what you’re doing. That’s how. You’re already much better at it than I was,” Penelope said before heading to the door.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Pierce was inside his apartment about to eat dinner when a voice came from behind him.

“Don’t you have work you need to be doing?” the man said.

Pierce flinched in surprise and turned around. “Can’t you think of a better way to announce yourself.”

The being ignored him. “You’re supposed to be tracking down Chloe Decker and finishing what you started!”

“Decker is dead. She has to be. The recover team finished with the crash scene. There wasn’t a single survivor. I also checked the flight manifest to make sure she was on board. She was. I didn’t screw up. She’s dead.”

“No, she’s not! I’d know if her soul had entered Heaven or Hell. It has not. She’s alive!” he said angrily.

“Well, how is that possible?” Pierce asked.

“That is what you will find out, Cain. Until you do, you won’t get what you want.”

“What does it matter? Everyone thinks she’s dead. Lucifer will return to Hell soon,” Pierce said.

“Don’t be an idiot. You think he won’t return if he finds out she’s still alive. Find Detective Decker and finish the job,” the man said before disappearing.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

As Chloe began to wake, she felt as if she’d been asleep for weeks. She also felt really sore. Every part of her body ached. It felt like she’d been run over by a car and all of her bones had been broken.

Chloe opened her eyes and was greeted by bright lights. She immediately shut them again. After a few moments, she opened them just a hair and saw a man several feet away in a suit with dark hair. She could only guess it was Lucifer. “Lucifer?”

“Not quite, Detective Decker,” the man said in a British accent. He walked closer to her as she could see all of him.

Chloe saw now that it definitely wasn’t Lucifer. They looked very much alike, but this man had dark brown hair instead of black and slightly different facial features. “Where am I?”

“I don’t think you’d believe me if I told you. I’m glad to see you’re awake. You almost didn’t make it. It took several of my healers to fix you up this well. Unfortunately, you still have some injuries, but we will work on them,” the man said.

“What happened?” Chloe asked. Then she remembered. She was on the plane with Dan. It started to go down. She remembered hitting her head, but nothing else. “There was a plane crash with Dan. Is he here? Is this a hospital?” She had so many questions that she didn’t know where to start. Where was she? Who was this guy that looked so much like Lucifer? And what had happened to Dan.

“I know you have many questions, Detective. I suppose I shall start with my identity. You are correct. I look very much like your partner,” he said.

Chloe frowned. Had she voiced her thoughts out loud without realizing it. She didn’t think she’d spoken those thoughts out loud.

The man laughed. “Let’s just say I have a knack for reading people.”

“Who are you? You have to be related to Lucifer,” Chloe said.

“Indeed. I’m his father.”


	6. Chapter 6

Lucifer pulled his car into Trixie’s school parking lot. It was her first day back to school since her parents died. Needless to say, the child was less than thrilled. She had pout on her face the entire way. “Come now, stop pouting. It will be fine.”

“I don’t want to be here,” Trixie pouted. 

“I know, but you have to go back to school sometime. Come on,” Lucifer said before getting out of the car.

Trixie got out went over to Lucifer. She grabbed his hand and walked with him towards the doors. “The other kids are gonna ask questions about Mommy and Daddy.”

“Yes, well, tell them to mind their own business,” Lucifer said as they walked inside. 

“Mommy would say that’s rude,” Trixie said.

“Perhaps,” Lucifer agreed. 

“Mommy’s not gonna be there when I get out school. She never will be,” Trixie said sadly.

“No, she won’t,” Lucifer said, almost apologetically. “I will be here though.”

“Promise?” Trixie asked as she led him down the hall towards her classroom. It wasn’t just the other kids she was worried about. She was scared to have Lucifer leave. Her mommy and daddy left, and then never came back. 

“Yes. I will be here to pick you up at the end of the day,” Lucifer promised.

“What if you get hurt like Mommy and Daddy?” she asked.

“I won’t. I’m immortal,” Lucifer said.

“Does that mean you can’t get hurt?” Trixie asked.

“Indeed,” Lucifer said. 

Trixie slowed down about halfway through the hallway where her classroom was. Her teacher was waiting outside.

A young woman with dark brown hair smiled at Trixie. “Hi, Trixie. I’m glad your back.”

“Hi, Ms. Morgan,” Trixie said.

“How about you go inside and get ready for the day?”

Trixie looked up at Lucifer with one last pleading look.

Lucifer winced slightly. “I’m going to ban that look if you keep it up. It will be fine, child. I will be here when you get out.”

“Okay,” Trixie said before letting go of his hand and going inside.

“Mr. Morningstar, right? Trixie’s new guardian?” the teacher asked once Trixie was inside.

“Correct,” Lucifer said. On paper, he was her temporary guardian. He’d called in a favor to get temporary guardianship until Penelope could send him paperwork she signed that listed him as Trixie’s legal guardian permanently.

“How is she doing?”

“How do you think? Her parents just died,” Lucifer said. He hated it when people asked stupid questions.

“Yes, of course. Is she talking to someone?” Ms. Morgan asked.

“Of course, she is. She talks to many people. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but the child is quite vocal,” Lucifer said sarcastically.

“I meant a…”

“Yes, I am aware of what you meant. It doesn’t seem necessary at this point for Trixie to see a psychiatrist. If it does in the future, I assure you, I’ll make sure it happens,” Lucifer said. It wasn’t that he wanted to ignore what Trixie was going through. He knew very well that she was in a lot of pain. But right now, he was adjusting as well as expected. He knew that because he’d spoken to Linda about it. She didn’t need to see a professional to talk about her pain. She was already doing that with him and Maze.

“Mr. Morningstar, the school believes in cases like this…”

“I don’t rightly care what this school believes. And Trixie is not a case. She’s one child, and you have no idea what is right for her. I will decide that. Now, if you’ll excuse me,” Lucifer said before walking away.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Maze was packing her things for her next bounty trip. She’d taken the last week off to deal with Chloe’s death, but now it was time to get back to it. Plus, she could use some action after the last week of misery.

Lucifer hadn’t been thrilled when she said she was leaving town for work. He was petrified of being alone with Trixie for days at a clip and screwing up. It was ridiculous. He’d been doing mostly everything with the kid anyway, and he’d been good at it. It was shocking how well he took care of everything. He’d gone from shying away from kids to doing practically everything for this one. Decker would certainly be shocked if she saw him with her kid now.

Maze soon heard a knock at the door. She went and answered it to find that forensic scientist that Lucifer and Chloe worked with there. “Lucifer’s not here. You can try Lux.”

“Actually, I kind of wanted to talk to you. I’m not sure I should tell Lucifer about this,” Ella said before barging inside.

Maze sighed in annoyance before shutting the door. “Make this quick. I’ve got a job to get to.”

“It’s about the plane crash,” Ella said.

“What about it? Did they find Decker’s body yet?” Maze asked. The last she knew they were still IDing bodies, but she knew they’d find the two detectives soon.

“No. I got ahold of a report on Pierce’s desk. I think he was trying to keep it under wraps, but I needed to know what was going on. Chloe and Dan were my friends,” Ella said.

“Alright, out with it already. I don’t have time for the runaround,” Maze said impatiently.

“It wasn’t an accident. They found that the engine was tampered with,” Ella said.

Maze’s eyes darkened. “They were murdered.”

“Yeah. Look, I know that there were a lot of people on that plane, but Chloe and Dan are the only ones we know for sure were cops. It only makes sense that…”

“They were the targets,” Maze said. The implications of this were huge. Lucifer was going to lose it. He would destroy anyone with anything to do with this, and while that sounded really fun to Maze, she decided it wasn’t best for him to begin an obsession over this, not when he was caring for the kid. “Don’t tell Lucifer about this.”

Ella nodded. “I know Lucifer can be scary when he wants to be. Chloe was his partner. He won’t stop until the person who did this suffers.”

“Neither will I. Thanks for the info. Keep it to yourself,” Maze said.

Ella nodded and headed back out the door.

Maze went back to her packing. She was going to take care of her bounty and then she would find out who murdered Chloe and why. Then she and Lucifer would both fry the bastard.

Xxxxxxxxxx

Chloe woke up again in the same room as before. The last thing she remembered was that man she saw telling her he was Lucifer’s father. She must have fallen asleep afterwards. Of course, she didn’t know how. She’d already felt like she’d been asleep for weeks.

“She’s waking up again. Get Father,” a female voice said.

Chloe watched as a man sandy hair walked out of the room. She turned to her left to see a young girl with dark hair. She looked like she couldn’t be older than eighteen or nineteen. “Who are you?”

“Hi, I’m Azrael. I’m Lucifer’s sister,” she said.

Chloe was slightly surprised to hear that. She didn’t know Lucifer had a sister. He talked about his mother and father, and of course Amenadiel, but he never mentioned a sister. “Is everyone here related to Lucifer.”

“Yeah, pretty much. The one that just left is our brother, Raziel, my twin,” Azrael said.

“Where’s Lucifer?” Chloe asked. If Lucifer’s family was there, she had to assume that he was somewhere around too.

“Uh, he’s not here,” Azrael said a bit awkwardly. “Dad kind of kicked him out a long time ago. He hasn’t been allowed back since.”

“Yeah, he told me that. Wait, this is your house?” Chloe asked.

“Well, it’s a little more than a house, but yeah. I know you have questions. Dad will answer them, I’m sure,” she said.

“Your father. That man from before. He can’t be Lucifer’s father. He looks like he can’t be more than a couple of years older than him,” Chloe said.

“Don’t let appearances fool you, Detective,” A new voice said.

Chloe turned to see the same man she’d seen earlier in the doorway. 

“I’m much older than I appear,” he said as he walked further into the room. “Thank you, Azrael. You may go. And she’s out of the woods, so you may return to work.”

“Yes, sir,” she said before leaving the room.

“You’re really Lucifer’s father?” Chloe asked.

“Indeed. Although, I’m sure he wishes otherwise,” he said.

“Yeah, he doesn’t think very much of you,” Chloe said. Honestly, neither did she, that was if he was really Lucifer’s father, which she found kind of unlikely. Anyway, Lucifer had told her much of his father. The man had abandoned him years ago because he rebelled. He made him feel like he was evil. She couldn’t think of any good parent that could do that to their own child. She certainly couldn’t do it to hers.

“There are two sides to every story, Detective.”

Chloe looked at him strangely. She felt like he was reading her mind, and it wasn’t the first time she felt like that. But it wasn’t possible. Maybe her face just gave him the gist of what she was thinking.

“I’m sure you’re wondering why I had you brought here,” he said as he casually paced in front of her. “You plane crash you were in was deadly. You would’ve surely died without our intervention. Normally, I don’t intervene, but these were special circumstances. Anyway, I knew something terrible was going to befall you, but not the full details. I had Azrael keeping an eye on you to ensure we had enough time to save you. Even then, we were almost too late. She was barely able to keep your soul from moving on, and it only got worse once you arrive here. Being here made it ache to move on. I had to use my power to keep your soul in your body while my healers did their work,” he explained.

“What?” Chloe asked confused. She didn’t understand any of that. He talked about her soul like it was a physical thing and about power, like the supernatural kind. He talked about it the way Lucifer would talk about being the Devil and immortal. Did Lucifer actually get that from his father?

He chuckled. “Yes, I know you aren’t a believer. Not to worry, I don’t hold it against you. Despite what many seem to believe, I have no need to be worshipped.”

“You… You’re actually trying to tell me that you’re…

“God? Yes, detective Decker."


	7. Chapter 7

Chloe stared at the man in shock. He’d just proclaimed to be God, much like Lucifer proclaimed to be the Devil all the time. It shouldn’t really surprise her. Lucifer had to get his… quirks from somewhere, right? It actually made sense. Lucifer got all the crazy metaphors from his own father. “God? Okay, sure.”

God chuckled. “Not the typical response to people finding out who I truly am, though I admit, most humans, even deceased ones, have never met me.”

“I don’t believe in God. I certainly don’t believe he’s standing in front of me right now. Though this does explain why Lucifer clings to his metaphors. He gets it from you,” Chloe said.

“My son is quite a bit like me, probably more than any of my other children are. He won’t admit it, of course,” God said. He waved his hand and produced a plush chair just before the bed. It was unnecessary. There were other chairs nearby, but he was making a point. 

Chloe gasped and flinched. The guy had made that chair appear out of nowhere. That wasn’t possible. You couldn’t just think something up like that.

“Well, you can’t, my dear. I think you’ll find that I can do just about anything. There are of course things I won’t do because they have consequences. For instance, I won’t revive a human being. That’s why it was necessary to save your life instead of letting you parish and then reviving you. That is a line I will never cross,” God said. That wasn’t to say that he’d never revived anyone before. He’d done so for his son once, but that was different, as his son was not human. Plus, his death had been the result of Amenadiel meddling when he shouldn’t. Bringing that corrupt cop back was a prime example of why God didn’t revive human beings. It just didn’t end well.”

“No,” Chloe said, mostly to herself. The man was reading her thoughts. She hadn’t voiced her thoughts out loud, but he was answering them. This couldn’t be real. It had to be a dream or something. She was an atheist.

“You weren’t always though, were you?” God asked. “You had a healthy skepticism most of your life, but you didn’t refuse to believe I existed until after your father was murdered.”

“How do you know that?” Chloe asked in a quiet, shocked voice.

“I’m capable of knowing almost anything I please,” God said. There were exceptions, of course. For instance, he didn’t know the whole story of why Chloe Decker was targeted. He couldn’t see who the mastermind behind it was or why they were doing it. That was likely to do with the fact that the being wasn’t human, and had found some way to mask themselves. “You must understand, Detective. I didn’t create human beings with the ability to live forever. That is because I intended for your species to keep repopulating. It wouldn’t exactly work out well if no one ever died. Everyone has to meet there demise eventually, some are old and some not. Either way, I will rarely interfere. As I said, there are consequences.”

“G…God? You’re God,” Chloe said in disbelief. She’d barely even heard anything he’d just said. She was too stunned by the fact that she just might be laying in front for the creator of the universe, whom she thought didn’t exist not even ten minutes ago. “S…so this is…?”

“Heaven, or as my children sometimes call it, The Silver City. Samael actually came up with the title. I’m still not certain as to why. Anyway, yes, you are in Heaven. You would actually be the first in thousands of years to have seen these walls while still alive,” God told her.

“Holy Hell,” Chloe whispered, still trying to come to terms with it all. 

God laughed loudly. “The exact opposite of this place actually”

“Lucifer. They weren’t metaphors. He was telling the truth. My partner is the Devil,” Chloe said. She felt like her brain was about to explode. Her partner, her friend, was the Devil. He’d always said that, but she never believed him. His father really was God, who was sitting next to her, in Heaven. This was the very definition of information overload. 

God scowled. “I loathe that moniker. My son is no devil. Despite human belief, I did not give him that name. Calling your children names is nothing but abuse. I would never do it. I love my son. Humanity came up with it at some point. Samael took the title. Perhaps he felt he should just succumb to how people thought of him. There was no changing their minds after all. Humans blew our fight completely out of proportion. It was nothing more than a quarrel between father and son.”

“Samael?” Chloe asked. Out of everything that had been said to her by… God, she didn’t know why that was what she hung onto, but the name confused her. She thought they were talking about Lucifer. 

“Oh, my apologies. I forget that you only know him as Lucifer. It’s not his true name, nor do I ever intend to use it. My son’s name is Samael. He changed it when I sent him to rule over Hell, either to spite more or as a way to create a new life for himself. Perhaps it was both,” God explained.

“Oh my God!” Chloe exclaimed. She brought her hands to her head. She couldn’t believe this was happening. Everything Lucifer had ever said was the truth. Everything about him that never made sense finally did. But why did he do it all? Why did he partner with her? Why did he help bring criminals down? That seemed kind beneath the Devil, beneath God’s son.

“He probably thought so until he met you. You’ve changed my son. Of course, I knew you would,” God said. That was why he created her in the first place. He knew she would help his son find his way. He knew she would make her happy. She would’ve long ago if his mother hadn’t tried to meddle and make him think it was all a manipulation. It wasn’t. All God wanted was for Samael to be happy and to realize that he could have a good life. 

Chloe didn’t speak. She didn’t know what to say.

God stood up. “You need some time to digest this information. There’s much more to say, but it can wait. I will leave you alone. When you wish to speak, you can just pray to me, or if you prefer, you can ask my son, Raziel to fetch me. He will be in from time to time to check on you. Also, this room leads to a living space and a kitchen, but I don’t advise getting up too much just yet. You’re still weak. Ask Raziel and he’ll get you whatever you need.”

“Wait,” Chloe said as he was about to leave. “Where’s Dan?” She’d been so shocked the whole God and Devil thing that she completely forgot about her ex-husband. He was on that plane with her, which meant he was hurt too. She had to find him. She needed to make sure he was alright.

God sighed sadly. “I’m sorry, Detective. He couldn’t be saved.”

“Dan’s dead?” Chloe asked with complete devastation in her voice. She and Dan had been done for a while now, but he was still the father of her child. He was her friend. She had spent a great deal of her life loving him, even if she no longer did romantically now. The last thing she wanted was for him to die. 

“Yes,” he said.

Chloe placed her hands over her face and started crying. In an instant, she’d lost a friend. He daughter lost her father. How was she supposed to tell Trixie that? How did she tell her child that her father was never coming home? How did she reconcile herself that someone who’d been a fundamental part of her life years was gone forever?”


	8. Chapter 8

Lucifer was sitting at the kitchen scowling as he went through paperwork for the child’s school. Apparently, there was a bunch of papers parents had to fill out for their children for school. Chloe had signed them all in the beginning of the year, but since she was… gone, he had to do so again as the new legal guardian. 

Lucifer soon heard a knock on the door. “Go away.” He had no desire to see anyone. Anyone he saw only asked how he was doing in regard to what happened to Chloe. He preferred to avoid the whole process.

He was ignored. The door opened and Amenadiel walked inside. “Hey, Luci.”

Lucifer sent his brother an irritated look. “What’s the point of knocking when you’re just going to ignore my response.”

Amenadiel shrugged. “I figured I’d be polite, I guess. How are you doing?”

“I wish people would stop asking that asinine question. Why do people ask that when someone… dies? How do you bloody think I am?” Lucifer asked.

Amenadiel put his hands up in surrender. “Sorry. I guess people just feel the need to ask. I guess we don’t want to seem like we don’t care.”

“Well, stop! I’d prefer you just left me alone about it,” Lucifer said.

“Okay. So, what are you doing?”

“I’m signing papers for the child’s school. Apparently, the papers the detective signed months ago are no longer good enough. Why can’t they just condense all they need into one form?” Lucifer grumbled.

Amenadiel sat down next to his brother. “I never thought you’d be here.”

“Me either. This is bloody torture,” Lucifer said as he looked down at the papers in front of him.

“I meant taking care of Trixie. You’ve just never been a kid person. You would shy away from the child,” Amenadiel said. Lucifer was never what one would call the fatherly type. He used to spend his time getting drunk and having sex, with the occasional murder investigation. Now he was living in Chloe’s house taking care of her kid. In the past, Amenadiel probably would’ve laughed at his brother, maybe even called him domesticated to tease him. But the circumstances that required such a changer were anything but amusing. Lucifer became an instant father because the woman he loved was dead.

“Yes, it was most unexpected to me as well,” Lucifer said. He never saw it coming. He didn’t plan to care for the child. It just happened. He showed up one day when Trixie asked for him and then just never left. He started taking care of her. He never even noticed until Penelope pointed it out to him.

“You were going to go back to Hell, weren’t you?” Amenadiel asked. He knew his brother. While Lucifer had been here before he met Chloe, she was what made the place home to him. With her gone, he likely felt he had no reason to stay. At least that was before he started caring for Chloe’s daughter. 

“Indeed,” Lucifer said. He obviously wasn’t going to now, but before Trixie came along, he had every intention of going back.

Amenadiel smiled slightly. He was glad Lucifer wasn’t returning to Hell. It was a different tune from the one he was singing when he first came to Earth, but he’d changed. Lucifer didn’t belong in Hell. Trixie was to thank for making sure he didn’t go back. She was getting him through it, just as he was her. Lucifer was in pain, a lot of it, but he was getting through each day. That was because he had a piece of Chloe Decker to take care of. 

Lucifer went back to his paper signing. He began reading one out loud. “List all allergies. Bloody Hell! The child’s allergies have not changed in the last a couple of weeks. Surely what the detective told them is still accurate!”

Amenadiel laughed. 

Just then, Trixie came running out. “Hi, Amenadiel.”

Amenadiel smiled at her. “Hello, Trixie.”

“Alright, Spawn, are you allergic to anything?” Lucifer asked.

“Uh uh,” Trixie said.

Lucifer wrote for a minute and then picked up the paperwork. “Alright, but this in your knapsack, and don’t lose it. I am not signing these again. Then get ready for bed.”

Trixie took the forms. “You have to sign again every year.”

“What? Why do I have to do it every year? Surely not that much changes.” Lucifer whined.

Trixie shrugged and ran back to her room.

Lucifer looked back over at his brother, who couldn’t keep the grin off his face. “Shut up.”

Amenadiel laughed. “So, where’s Maze?”

“Out of town working. She should be back soon, at least she better be. The child is becoming nervous with her being gone. She’s afraid she will lose another person,” Lucifer said. Trixie had not been happy with Maze leaving. He hadn’t either, but for other reasons. Trixie worried for Maze’s safety. It wasn’t surprising considering that Chloe and Daniel had died leaving on a trip. 

“Maze will be fine. I’m more worried about whoever she’s chasing,” Amenadiel said.

Lucifer snorted. “Indeed. She was the most feared demon in Hell.”

“Well, I should go. You’re busy,” Amenadiel said before standing up. 

“Always nowadays,” Lucifer said. He scarcely found a few moments when he didn’t have something to do, either with Trixie or Lux. He actually preferred it that way. When he was busy, he couldn’t think about Chloe too much. 

“I’ll see you later,” Amenadiel said before heading for the door. 

Lucifer watched him leave and then got up to see Trixie to bed. As he approached her room, he paused momentarily at Chloe’s door, as he did every time he neared it. He still hadn’t stepped inside. He couldn’t bear to. Maze kept trying to convince him to take the room over, but he couldn’t even walk inside. It would truly mean she wasn’t coming back. He knew that she wasn’t, of course, but he supposed he just wasn’t ready to completely succumb to that reality.

Lucifer sighed and continued on to Trixie’s room.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

When Chloe woke up again, she could almost make herself believe it had all been a dream. That she was not in Heaven with God himself, that her partner was not the Devil, and most importantly, that the father of her child was not dead. She could _almost_ believe it. She knew it was real. There was no such thing as a dream that vivid. It was all real. Everything she’d refused to believe since her father’s death was actually true. There was a God. There was a Devil. He was probably her closest friend. He was the man she trusted to have her back. What was he now though? Was he still all of that? It felt like he was, but now she had this new information to think on. She couldn’t reconcile it. Lucifer and the Devil as the same person just didn’t compute, even if it was who he always claimed to be.

And then there was still Dan. He was gone. A man she once loved was out of her life forever. She couldn’t deny there was a time or two in the past where she wished she could erase him from her life. Right after the Malcolm situation was a prime example of that. But she never meant it. She never really wanted him to disappear. No matter what, he was always her friend. He was always Trixie’s father.

Chloe had no idea how she was going to tell Trixie. How did you tell your child that her father was never coming back? She knew first hand how hellish that was to hear, and she’d been much older than Trixie. This was going to devastate her child.

Chloe sighed and started to get out of bed. G…God had told her it was best not to move around, but she had to. She had to get up and walk around. Hopefully it would help her head clear a little bit. She had to find a way to come to terms with all of this. 

Chloe walked to the door and stepped outside. She found herself in a living room lavish furniture. There were two large couches that spread out almost the entire length of two of the walls. There were several chairs and tables around. One of the tables contained a bright light, but it wasn’t from a lamp. It looked almost like… well, a star.

Chloe walked closer, but stopped midway through the room, as it became a bit too bright.

“You shouldn’t get too close,” a voice said.

Chloe turned to see the guy she’d seen with Azrael when she first woke up. Well, she thought it was him. She’d only seen him from the back. He had short, sandy brown hair and blue eyes. He looked to be in his late teens. Obviously, he was older than that. “Is… Is that a star?”

“Sort of. It’s not what you see in the sky on Earth. It’s more like a prototype,” he said. He raised his hand and it deemed quite a bit. “You can get closer, but don’t touch it.”

Chloe walked a bit closer and stared at it in awe. This was unbelievable. She was up close to a freaking star, or at least the closest thing. “Did you make this?”

He laughed. “No, not me. I would’ve been basically a toddler when this was created. “Sam made it.”

“Sam? You mean Lucifer?” Chloe asked. She remembered God saying that Lucifer’s name was Samael. It seemed logical that Sam was short for that.

“Yeah, sorry. Sometimes I forget he has a different name now. I’m Raziel, by the way,” he said.

“Nice to meet you. I’m sure you know this, but I’m Chloe,” she said.

Raziel laughed. “Of course.”

“I can’t believe Lucifer created this,” Chloe said as she stared at the star prototype. 

“He’s the light bringer. This is how he got that name,” Raziel told her.

“And how’d he get the title ‘The Devil’?” she asked mostly to herself.

“The stupidity of humans. No offense,” Raziel told her. “Some of my siblings call him that though. However, none of them are stupid enough to say it in front of our father. They know he hates it.”

Chloe remembered God telling her he hated that name for his son. He said he hadn’t been the one to call him that. She wondered if that meant Lucifer was or wasn’t actually the Devil. Was there even a Devil? God apparently didn’t think so.

“Are you okay?” Raziel asked.

“What did Lucifer actually do?” Chloe asked. She needed to sort out this thing with Lucifer in her head. To do that, she needed to know what actually happened.

“He disobeyed,” Raziel told her.

“There has to be more to it than that,” Chloe said. There as no way Lucifer could have been cast out of Heaven and later nicknamed the devil because he said the word ‘no’.

“Well, yeah, there is. He was tired of the way things were. He hated having to follow Father’s rules without question. He wanted to make his own decisions. Father said no. He basically dismissed him. Sam decided to force the issue. He used Father’s special project. Humanity.”

“Eve,” Chloe said. 

“Yeah, he enticed her. He didn’t do much. He just drew on her desires and fed on them. I guess he thought if the newest creation was able to use Fee Will, we should too. It still didn’t work. It just pissed Father off. The next step was to start a rebellion. He got others that agreed with him to stand up to Father and those with him. There was fighting,” Raziel explained.

“A war,” Chloe said with much uneasiness in her voice.

“Not exactly. I guess it would look like that to humans, but it was more a scuffle to us. No one got hurt, but Father had had enough. He exiled Samael to Hell,” he said.

“So, the story about Lucifer hating humanity isn’t true?” Chloe asked. 

“I mean, he never really liked humanity, but he didn’t hate it. Now our mother, she hated it,” he said.

Chloe didn’t even want to think about angels having a mother. It was just a bit too much right now. Though she knew they did have one. Lucifer had mentioned his mother. With that thought, she thought about Charlotte. Was she really his stepmother? He had never actually said she was, but he didn’t deny it either. Could she actually be his mother?

Chloe shook her thoughts off. That was a contemplation for another day. “So, Lucifer got kicked out for disobeying and then convincing others do the same. Do you know how asinine that sounds?”

“Um…” Raziel trailed off. He was at a loss for words. 

“No parent tosses their kid out because he refuses to listen. In fact, that’s called child abandonment, if he was still a minor. Even if he wasn’t, it’s crappy parenting,” Chloe said. She couldn’t believe all the stories about the so-called Devil were about Lucifer acting out in an angel version of teenage rebellion. 

Raziel opened and closed his mouth a few times, not sure what to say.

“Alright, well, this has been so much fun, but when are you sending me home. I need to see my daughter and find some way to explain to her that her father is dead. Then I need to see Lucifer,” Chloe said. She wasn’t sure what she was going to say to Lucifer after all of this, but she needed to see him.

“I’m going to get my father for you,” he said.

“Why? Can’t you send me home?” Chloe asked. She didn’t like the way he said he had to get his father, or the look on his face when he said it. It made her worry that they weren’t going to send her home. 

“Let me get my father,” was all Raziel said before walking away. 


	9. Chapter 9

Chloe sat on the couch and stared at the star that Lucifer had made while waiting for God. And man, that was a thought she never thought would enter her brain. She couldn’t believe how much she didn’t know. The kicker was, she couldn’t even blame her lack of knowledge on secrecy. Lucifer had been honest with her from the moment they met. He’d been very vocal about who he was, and his relationship with God himself. She simply chose not to believe him. In her defense though, who would believe that?

“A very ingenious invention, isn’t it?”

Chloe looked up to see God in the doorway.

God closed the door and approached her. “I tasked my son with creating light. I was proud by his creativity.”

Chloe almost snorted. Yeah, he was proud, so much so that he kicked his son out for daring to back talk.

“As I said when we met, there are two sides to every story. Now, Raziel said you wished to speak to me,” God said.

“Then he lied. I never said I wanted to see you. I said I wanted to go home,” Chloe said.

“Yes, I suspected that was what you wanted. Unfortunately, I can’t allow that,” God said.

Chloe shot up from her seat and glared. She wasn’t surprised by the response. She’d half expected it just with Raziel’s reaction to the request. But just because she wasn’t surprised, didn’t mean she wasn’t seething. “What do you mean you can’t allow it?! You can’t keep me here! Who do you think you are?!”

God raised an eyebrow and gave her a slightly amused smile.

Chloe sighed. She’d forgotten who she was talking to for a minute. God. That’s who he was. He probably thought that gave him the right to do whatever he wanted.

“It does, but I usually don’t, and I assure you, I take no pleasure in this,” God said.

“Okay, can you do me a favor and stop answering my thoughts?” Chloe asked. It was getting extremely annoying and creepy. She wasn’t used to beings who could read her every thought.

“As you wish,” he agreed.

“You may be God, but you can’t keep me here. I have to go home. I have a little girl waiting for me, and I am the only parent she has left,” Chloe said.

“Yes, it is very unfortunate, but I will not allow you to leave here,” God said in a firm tone.

Chloe felt panic set in a bit. She knew that the situation she found herself in was well out of her control. She was being held prisoner by God. How was one supposed to escape the creator of the entire universe? The only option she could even think of would be to pray to Lucifer. He was an angel, right? He would hear her. But even if he did, what could he do against his father. God was still more powerful than his angel son. 

“I know I told you I wouldn’t answer your thoughts, but you should know that praying to my son will not help you,” God said apologetically.

Chloe mentally cursed. She’d forgotten just for a second that he could hear her every thought.

“As you figured out, even if he heard you, he wouldn’t be able to do much, but he can’t. I’ve cut him off from your prayers,” God said. He known there was a possibility that Chloe Decker would reach out to his son, even if just by accident. If she did that, he would learn that she was alive, which could lead to trouble from those trying to kill her.

“Why are you doing this?” Chloe asked.

“I’m going to be frank with you, Detective Decker. I feel you’d prefer it to the alternative. If I send you home, you will die,” he told her.

“W…what?” Chloe asked taken aback. He wasn’t lying when he said he was going to be frank.

“I don’t involve myself in random accidents, Detective. If your plane had crashed because of faulty wiring or some other reason, I would’ve left you to your fate,” God explained.

“You’re saying someone sabotaged the plane? That they wanted me dead?” Chloe asked. She shouldn’t be surprised. It wasn’t the first time someone tried to kill her. It was one of the drawbacks of being a cop. Everyone wanted her dead. Although, it was the first time anyone had used a plane to try to accomplish it. “What about Dan?”

“Detective Espinoza was collateral damage, as was everyone else on board,” he told her. 

Chloe stood there horrified as she thought of the hundreds of people on that plane. She could only assume that they were all killed. Even if some of them survived, that was still many people who died because someone wanted to kill her, including Dan. It was bad enough when she thought it was an accident, but now she learned that her ex-husband died simply because he was with her. 

Chloe stumbled, and her knees started to give out. “Oh my God!”

God took ahold of Chloe’s arm and gently eased her back onto the couch. He then held out his hand and a glass of water appeared in it. “You should drink this.”

Chloe took the glass and drank it in a couple of gulps. “All those people died because I was on that plane with them.”

“I understand the concept of survivor’s guilt, my dear, but such guilt serves no purpose than to take blame away from those responsible,” God told her before taking a seat next to her. 

Chloe knew he was right. She’d said similar things to others who’d lost loved ones in ways like this. It didn’t help anyone to blame yourself for someone else’s crime. She just couldn’t get over the fact that so many people had died when the target had been her, and she was still alive. “Who tried to kill me? And don’t give me any crap about not wanting to interfere.”

God chuckled. “No point in that, is there. I’ve already interfered. Nevertheless, I can’t tell you what you want to know. I don’t know.”

Chloe gave him a skeptical look. “You’re God.”

“Indeed, which should tell you just how grave the situation is. For some reason, I can’t see who is responsible,” God said.

“If you can’t see them, then they must not be human,” Chloe reasoned.

God gave her an impressed look.

“Which means they’re not really after me. They’re after Lucifer. You need to send me home,” Chloe said urgently. If she was right, Lucifer was in danger. She needed to be there to help him. She didn’t even care that these people weren’t human. She wanted to back up her partner. 

“Out of the question,” God said.

“Lucifer is in danger!” Chloe said. 

“I assure you, he’s not. You’re correct that it is likely that this was done to get to Samael, but they don’t want him dead. If they did, it wouldn’t have been you they attacked. They don’t want to kill him, they want to break him. My best guess is that they are trying to get him to go back to Hell,” God said. They’d almost got what they wanted too. His son was about to return to Hell. The only thing stopping him was young child now in his care. For that reason, he was keeping a close eye on Beatrix Espinoza. Just in case this being went after her as well. However, he doubted the child would be in any danger right now. Whomever was doing this would be smart enough to realize that something happening to the child so soon after her mother’s ‘death’ would be a red flag to Samael. He would figure out that it was no random accident. 

“These people think that my death would send Lucifer back to Hell?” Chloe asked.

“You truly don’t know the impact you’ve had on my son’s life, do you?” God asked.

“I know that he cares about me,” Chloe said. Of course, she knew that. He always had her back, and he’d done everything he could to save her when she was sick awhile back. But was it really enough to break him? There was a time when she thought he cared more than that, but they he’d taken off to Vegas. 

“It’s more than that detective. You are probably single-handedly the most influential person in his life. Before you, he never really cared much about humans. You cannot imagine how badly he’s grieving,” God told her.

“Grieving? You say that like he thinks I’m dead,” Chloe said.

God just looked at her in response.

“He thinks I’m dead?!” Chloe exclaimed before jumping to her feet. 

“According to human authorities, there were no survivors. You were declared dead two weeks ago,” God said.

“Everyone thinks I’m dead? My daughter thinks I’m dead?” Chloe asked in horror. She thought it was bad when she realized she had to tell Trixie that Dan was gone. This was so much worse. He daughter thought they were both dead. She had no one. “Send me home now! I am not going to stay here while my daughter grieves for me!”

“Believe me, I understand your concerns,” God said before standing up. He waved his hand and a mini bar appeared on the other side of the room. He immediately went over and began pouring a couple of drinks. “My son is grieving too, and believe me, it concerns me greatly.”

“Then put a stop to it!” Chloe yelled. It occurred to her that maybe yelling at God wasn’t the best idea, but at the moment, she couldn’t bring herself to care too much, not when everyone she cared about was grieving her death.

“And how long will it be stopped for? Possibly a week. Probably not much longer than that. Then you really will be dead, and their grief will be much worse, much more traumatizing,” God said. He walked over with two drinks and handed her one

Chloe took the offered glass of Scotch and drank it in one gulp. She needed that after what she’d just learned. She supposed God had a point with what he’d just said. If she died for real, it would be worse. How could she put her loved ones through that a second time? But how could she sit in Heaven and do nothing. Her daughter was grieving. Lucifer was grieving. They had no one. “My child is alone right now.”

“I assure you, Detective, your child is being cared for,” God said with a knowing smile.

“Yeah, I’m sure,” Chloe said. Trixie would be with her mother, since Dan had no living family, and that wasn’t acceptable in her mind. She loved her mother, but the woman was not a good mother. She was a good grandmother most of the time. Chloe had no issues with letting her mother spend time with Trixie, but she didn’t want her raising her. The woman was basically a child herself most of the time. How was she going to take care of Trixie? How was she going to help her through such a terrible loss? “How long?”

“I wish I had an answer for you. I have no idea how long it’s going to take to fix this situation, but I will work as hard as I can,” he assured her.

Chloe went to the bar to refill her glass. She needed another drink.


	10. Chapter 10

Lucifer was sitting with Linda in her office. He wasn’t too happy about it. He’d rather be anywhere than there. He hadn’t seen Linda professionally in almost a month, since Chloe’s death. He hadn’t wanted to either. He knew she was going to want to talk about his feelings on the subject.

“I’m glad you finally decided to come back to therapy, Lucifer,” Linda said.

Lucifer snorted. “Decided? You wouldn’t leave me alone until I did.” Linda had been calling him incessantly to get him to go back to therapy. He finally decided it would just be less of a hassle to go.”

“Well, you were avoiding me,” Linda said.

“Not true. I’ve called you,” Lucifer asked.

“To ask about Trixie. To see if she needed to see someone. You’ve completely avoided it for yourself. You don’t want to talk about Chloe’s death,” Linda said.

“You realize that, yet you still bring it up,” Lucifer grumbled.

“Lucifer, I’m your friend, as well as your psychiatrist. I’m worried about you. Your life has taken a dramatic turn, and I don’t just mean losing Chloe. You went from a carefree bachelor to a single father overnight. You’re trying to manage your grief alongside taking care of a child,” Linda said.

“I’m fine,” was all Lucifer said. 

“No, you’re not. You may be the Devil, but you’re not immune to grief. Chloe’s death was a huge blow to you,” Linda said.

“I don’t need you to tell me that,” he growled in a low tone. 

“No, but you do need me to tell you that you need to deal with it. You can’t keep burying it,” Linda said. 

“I’m not burying it,” Lucifer denied. He wasn’t. Well, not really. It wasn’t like he never spoke about Chloe. He talked about her with Trixie. Though, he’d admit that was mostly

or the child. He rarely spoke of his feeling on it, even to Trixie. He was mainly focused on her.

“No? Are you still sleeping on the couch at Maze’s instead of Chloe’s room?” Linda asked.

“That’s not fair! You can’t use what Maze blabs to you against me,” Lucifer protested. 

“I’m not using it against you. I’m not judging you. But the fact that you won’t step foot in that room means something. The fact that it has been left as is for the last month means something. You don’t want to deal with it. You’re afraid that going in that room, possibly taking it over, will mean she’s really gone. She is gone, Lucifer,” Linda said as gently as she could.

“I know that,” Lucifer said quietly. “It’s not right! She was the best person I’d ever known. Now, she’s gone. It’s not right that one of the best people in this world, a woman who went out of her way to help others, had her life cut so drastically short.”

“I agree with you. It’s never fair when something like that happens. But doesn’t it give you at least some comfort to know she’s in a peaceful place. You know she’s in Heaven,” Linda said.

“Yes. She’s in Heaven, where I can never reach. I’ve wondered at times if this was my father’s master plan. He put her in my path and then yanked her away. Did he do it just to punish me more?” Lucifer wondered.

“You think your father is that cruel?” Linda asked.

Lucifer laughed bitterly. “Oh, Doctor, you have no idea the depth of my father’s cruelty. You know, I have another theory, which would make my father even more cruel.”

“What’s that?” Linda asked.

“That perhaps it wasn’t the detective he meant to put in my path. Think about it. If he hadn’t arranged for the detective to be born, her offspring certainly wouldn’t. Chloe’s gone. I’m the one caring for the child,” Lucifer told her.

“You think it was Trixie that your father put in your path?” Linda asked.

“It’s possible, and if so, it means Chloe was just a means to an end. He let me fall in love with her and lose her just to make me a parent. He gave and took her life for that!” Lucifer said furiously.

“Would it matter if he did? If he came to you and told you that your theory was correct, what would you do?” Linda asked.

“I’d punch his bloody lights out! Though, admittedly, I’d do that anyway,” Lucifer said.

“But would it change things between you and Trixie. Would you abandon her because you found out she was part of a manipulation?” Linda asked.

“Of course not!” Lucifer exclaimed in an insulted tone. He would never abandon Trixie. Not only was she the last piece of Chloe he had, but he was also staring to care for her by herself. He’d come to love the person she was. He would never leave her. Yes, he’d run from Chloe when he believed his father arranged it, but that was because he felt that she wasn’t given a choice. He would not forge a relationship with a woman who had no real say in the matter. 

“Well, then it wouldn’t really change anything, would it? Chloe would still be gone, and you would still be Trixie’s guardian. So, does it really matter?” Linda asked.

“No, I suppose not, other than the fact that it would make me hate my father more,” Lucifer said.

“Lucifer, I think you’re looking for an explanation where there isn’t one. Sometimes, terrible things happen for no reason at all,” Linda said.

“Hmm. Only thing wrong with that theory is that there is a higher power that likes to manipulate things to his liking, especially where I’m concerned,” Lucifer said. 

Linda sighed. She could see that Lucifer wasn’t going to budge on making this some way his father’s fault. He needed an enemy, and his father always seemed to be the perfect one. “How are you handling things with Trixie?”

“Surprisingly well, I’d say. I haven’t managed to damage her yet, and I’m actually rather fond of the spawn,” Lucifer said.

“You’ve gotten over your dislike for children, it seems,” Linda said with a smile. 

“Who said that? I still don’t like children. This one is just an exception,” Lucifer said.

“Of course, she is.”

“She’d hate it, you know,” Lucifer said.

“Who’d hate what?” Linda asked. 

“The Detective. She wouldn’t want me caring for her offspring. She’d think I’d screw her up,” Lucifer said. Despite what Penelope had said, he knew this wasn’t what Chloe would want. She wouldn’t trust him to care for her child. She’d seen the way he was with children.

“I don’t think that’s true,” she said.

“It is. I wouldn’t blame her. I had very little experience with children, and Chloe would say that I’m not very responsible. She’d be right,” Lucifer said.

“Yet, you’re doing it. You don’t think she’d want it, but you’re still doing it,” Linda said.

“Mainly out of selfishness. I agreed to raise Trixie because I needed her. She was the only link I had to the detective,” Lucifer said. That was how it was at first anyway. It was becoming less and less about that every day. 

“I don’t believe there could ever be anything selfish about choosing to raise a child that isn’t yours. I believe if Chloe could, she’d tell you how much she appreciates what you’ve done,” Linda said.

“She doesn’t know. Humans can’t look down on Earth. They don’t know what happens after they die. I don’t know how the absurd notion that they watch over their loved ones came to be. They don’t,” Lucifer said. 

“Well, if she could then,” Linda said.

“I need to go, Doctor. My life has become rather hectic lately. There are things I must be doing,” Lucifer said. He’d had enough. He wanted to get out of there.

Linda let him go. She knew not to push Lucifer too far. 

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Amenadiel sat outside a coffee shop with Maze, who had just informed him that Chloe and Dan’s deaths weren’t an accident. “Are you sure?”

“You think I’d be telling you if I wasn’t? After talking to Ella Lopez, I stopped by Arizona on my way back from my last bounty and managed to get someone to tell me everything. Someone screwed with the engine and then rigged the plane to explode,” Maze told him.

“Damn. I can only assume you haven’t told Lucifer,” Amenadiel said. She couldn’t have. If Lucifer knew that someone murdered the woman he loved, his rage would’ve likely shaken the planet by now.

“Oh, you’d know if I had. It’s better he doesn’t know right now. I’ll tell him when I can give him flesh to rip off,” Maze said.

“Any idea who did it?” Amenadiel asked.

“Sure, we’ve only got about a billion suspects,” Maze said sarcastically. We don’t even know what species it was. It could be human, which means about a hundred suspects at the least. Cops aren’t well liked. Then there are angels and demon.”

“You think an immortal killed Chloe?” Amenadiel asked surprised.

“Her partner’s the Devil. What do you think?”

“They wouldn’t use a plane crash to do it though,” Amenadiel said.

“I remember a brother of yours who caused a car accident,” Maze reminded him.

“Uriel manipulated a sequence of events. This was out and out murder. And if it was an angel, there will be Hell to pay. Possibly literally,” Amenadiel said. Killing humans was a big one for his father. He wouldn’t take too kindly to this.

“Yeah, there damn will be. I’m gonna find out who killed Decker and make them pay,” Maze said firmly.

Amenadiel nodded. He knew that Maze wasn’t just doing this because of Lucifer. She’d never admit it, but she cared about Chloe too. They were friends “I’ll help you however I can.”

“Good. Since your useless anywhere else without your powers, work the human angle,” Maze said before standing up.

“Uh, sure,” Amenadiel said slightly offended. He then watched as she left.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Lucifer stood outside of Chloe’s room. His hand was on the doorknob, and he was trying to gain the courage to walk inside. Linda was right. He couldn’t keep avoiding this room because he didn’t want to face Chloe’s loss. She was gone. He couldn’t hide from that.

Lucifer slowly turned the knob and opened the door. He flipped the light switch as he stepped inside. The room was as he expected it to be. It was neat. The bed was made, and the room was spotless. Chloe would want things to be as neat as they could be. Everything looked as it should, as if it was just waiting for her to return.

Lucifer walked to the dresser. There wasn’t much on it. A couple of perfume bottles and some jewelry. He picked up a necklace and went over it with his hands. He’d seen it on her Chloe once or twice, usually during undercover assignments. He could almost picture her wearing it, with him making some sexual comment that she’d glare at him for or roll her eyes at.

Tears began to form in Lucifer’s eyes, but he didn’t let them fall. He couldn’t He wouldn’t be able to stop if he did.

Lucifer put the necklace down and went over to the bed. He sat down and looked at the nightstand, which had a picture of Chloe and Trixie on it. They were both smiling. He picked it up and stared at it for several minutes before looking up and glaring at the ceiling. “You bloody bastard! Why did you have to do this?! If you wanted to teach me a lesson, surely you could’ve don’t it without taking her life! But why would that matter to you? She was just a means to an end! Whether it was her you meant to put in my path or Trixie, you used her to get to me! You took her from me and the child! I will never forgive you for this!”

Anger soon turned to grief as his tears soon began to flow. He clutched the picture to his chest and laid down on the bed as he sobbed freely. He’d thought he wouldn’t be able to keep his grief at bay when he entered Chloe’s room, and he’d been right. All he wanted right now was to die.

Lucifer didn’t hear the door open or footsteps approach the bed, but he did feel the bed dip, and a small body lay next to him. He knew he should pull himself together. The child was here, and he needed to be strong for her, but he just couldn’t right now.

Trixie cuddled close to Lucifer. She’d heard him crying from her room. She’d followed the sounds to her mother’s room and immediately came to comfort him, just like he did for her. “It’s okay, Lucifer. I miss Mommy too. I cry for her and Daddy a lot.”

Lucifer put his arms around the child. The two of them laid there as they dealt with the pain of losing the person they loved most in the world. 


	11. Chapter 11

About a week later, Lucifer found himself packing up Chloe’s things with the help of Amenadiel. He hadn’t wanted to do it, but he couldn’t just hold onto them forever. As much as it hurt, he had to let her go. That meant letting her things go too. He needed to do it, not just for himself, but for Trixie too. He feared that if he kept everything, a part of the child would be waiting for her mother to return, something that would never happen.

Trixie suddenly walked into the room to see Lucifer and Amenadiel packing. “Where are you gonna take Mommy’s stuff?” Lucifer explained to her that they had to pack her mommy’s stuff away because they couldn’t keep it around forever, but he didn’t tell her what they were gonna do with it.

Lucifer turned to her. “We’re going to take it to a storage. It’s a place where people put things that are important to them that they can’t keep in their homes,” he explained. He knew he should probably get rid of at least some of it, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. Instead, he would keep it all safe in case Trixie decided she wanted any of it someday.

“So, you’re not gonna throw any of it away?” Trixie asked. She was glad to hear that. She didn’t want her mother’s stuff gone forever.

“No, of course not. We’re going to keep it all safe,” Lucifer promised.

“Good,” Trixie said.

Just then, they all heard Maze’s voice. “Hey, Lucifer! That dick lieutenant is back!”

Lucifer sighed and walked out towards the kitchen. Maze was there with Pierce. “What do you want? I thought once I stopped working with the LAPD, I’d be rid of you.” He couldn’t stand the lieutenant since Chloe’s death. He was never all that fond of him, but since Chloe died, it got worse. All he could think about was that Pierce was the one to send Chloe and Daniel away on the plane that killed them.

“I see you’re still as friendly as ever, Lucifer. I stopped by your penthouse, but you weren’t there, and neither were any of your things. One of your employees said you moved out,” Pierce said. He had actually been happy when he heard Lucifer was gone. He thought that meant Lucifer returned to Hell. That solved part of his problem. But then the guy he talked to said he still ran the club, and then told him where Lucifer was living. 

“Are you just uttering useless facts, or do you have a point?” Lucifer asked in a bored tone. 

“I was just surprised,” Pierce said.

Trixie cam out at that moment and went to Lucifer. “Why’s the man who took Mommy and Daddy away here?”

“Kid, I’m sorry about your mom and dad, but it’s not my fault they died. I couldn’t be expected to know about an accident that would happen,” Pierce said. Decker’s kid unnerved him a lot. She didn’t know what he’d done, but she still blamed him. She blamed him for her parents being gone. That made him really uncomfortable because he was actually responsible. 

“There is no reason for you to address the child, Lieutenant,” Lucifer said before turning to Trixie. “Spawn, go back and help Amenadiel. He should be almost through. Then we will go for ice cream, like I promised.”

“Okay,” Trixie said. She glared at her parents’ boss and then left the room.

“Did you come her for a reason, or did you just want to annoy us and upset and eight-year-old?” Maze asked. She hoped he was not here to tell them that the crash wasn’t an accident. That would defeat the purpose of her keeping it from Lucifer. 

“I came to let you know that they finally finished IDing all the bodies from the crash. Espinoza’s body was identified a couple of weeks ago. I figured I’d wait until they found Decker’s before I told you,” Pierce said. Really, he was just waiting until he could arrange for a body that he could use to pass as Decker. Even for him, that took time.

“And?” Lucifer asked with trepidation. He wasn’t sure why he was so on edge. He’d already known that Chloe was dead. He supposed, however, that there was a small sliver of hope still left though.

“They identified it a couple of days ago,” Pierce lied. 

Lucifer closed his eyes sadly. His heart sank. “I want to see her.”

Pierce had been watching Lucifer’s face. Due to the fact that he could find no trace of Chloe Decker, he wondered if Lucifer knew she was alive and was hiding her. That theory was shot to hell when he saw Lucifer’s face just now. He was devastated all over again. He didn’t know she was alive. He was grieving her death. “Lucifer, there’s nothing to see. The explosion rendered the bodies as nothing but skeletons. That is for the ones that weren’t in pieces. They had to identify her through dental records.”

Lucifer flinched, but refused to allow Pierce to see his pain anymore than he already had. “Fine. You can leave now,” he said before heading out of the room.

Maze pointed to the door and walked the Lieutenant out. Normally she wouldn’t bother, but she wanted to talk to him without Lucifer overhearing. “Anything else come out about the crash.”

“Like what?” Pierce asked.

“Like how it happened?” Maze asked in an annoyed tone.

“Oh, right. Yeah, it was faulty wiring. And then when the plane crashed, other problems arose that caused the explosion,” Pierce told her.

“Faulty wiring,” Maze repeated. She knew for a fact that wasn’t what happened, and she also knew Pierce knew that. What the hell was his game?

“Yeah. It’s rare, but it can happen. It was just a terrible accident,” Pierce said before heading to his car.

Maze watched suspiciously as the lieutenant left. He’d just lied through his teeth. He knew that crash was no accident. The report about it had been on his desk. Maze had to wonder if Trixie was right, and Pierce was responsible. Why else would he lie?

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Lucifer was sitting with Trixie outside of an ice cream shop as they both ate ice cream sundaes.

“Lucifer, why does that man keep coming to our house?” Trixie asked.

“To annoy us, and I suppose because it’s his job,” Lucifer said. He added the last part as an afterthought. 

“Well, he shouldn’t come. He took Mommy and Daddy away,” Trixie said.

“Perhaps we shouldn’t blame him for that,” Lucifer said. That was what Chloe would say anyway. She would say that Pierce wasn’t responsible for the accident. Somewhere in him, Lucifer knew he wasn’t responsible either, but it was hard to get around the fact that if he hadn’t ordered Daniel and Chloe on that plane, they’d still be alive.

“But he made them go,” Trixie said.

“I know, but he’s only mortal. He can’t see the future or anything. He couldn’t know what would happen. Your mother wouldn’t want you to blame him, would she?” Lucifer asked.

Trixie shook her head after a minute. “Mommy would say that accidents are no one’s fault. Do I have to say ‘sorry’?”

“You should only apologize if you are indeed sorry,” Lucifer said.

“Will you be made if I don’t?” Trixie asked. Her mom and dad said things like that too. They’d say that it was up to her if she wanted to apologize, but she knew they always meant that she needed to. Usually though, she was sorry. She just didn’t like apologizing. It wasn’t very fun. This time, she wasn’t sorry.

“I would only be upset if you apologized and didn’t mean it. You should never lie, even when apologizing to someone,” Lucifer told her.

“I won’t blame him anymore, but I don’t want to apologize. I don’t like him,” Trixie said.

“That makes two of us, child. You probably won’t see him again anyway,” Lucifer said.

“Good,” Trixie said.

“There is something we must discuss. Do you recall me telling you about how they needed to find what remained of your mother and father?” Lucifer asked.

“Uh huh. You said that when people die, there bodies stay here, and that the police were still looking for Mommy and Daddy’s bodies. Did they find them?” Trixie asked.

“Yes. That’s why Lieutenant Pierce came over today.”

“What are they gonna do with them?” Trixie asked.

“They will put them in the graves that were made for them,” Lucifer answered. When Chloe and Daniel were declared dead, he arranged for burial plots and headstones, but the graves were currently empty.

“Do we have to do anything?” Trixie asked.

“No. I will arrange for people to do that for us. We don’t need to do anything. I just thought you should know,” Lucifer said.

“Okay,” Trixie said. It didn’t really matter much to her. Her parents were already gone. This didn’t change any of that.

“Go on and finish your ice cream. We should go home soon,” Lucifer said.

Trixie nodded started eating again.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Chloe was in the… she’d call it the apartment she was staying in, trying to work out who was trying to kill her. She’d been gone for over a month, and she was not pleased about it. Her daughter and Lucifer spent over a month thinking she was dead, while was stuck waiting for someone to find an answer. Well, she was done waiting. If she wanted out of there, she was going to have to figure out how to do it herself.

Chloe soon hard a ‘swish’ sound. She was used to it by now. It was the sound of an angel flying in. Sure enough, she looked up and saw Raziel. “Hi, Raziel.”

“Hello, Chloe. I’ve just stopped by to see if you need anything,” Raziel said.

“Not unless you’ve got answers for me yet,” Chloe said.

“Not yet. We’re doing everything we can,” Raziel assured her. 

“Well, then I will have to do what I can to help with that,” Chloe said as she began writing on a piece of paper in front of her. She’d asked Raziel for a pad of paper and pen the last time he came by.

“What do you mean? What are you doing?” he wondered.

“Writing a list of people of interest. Anyone that’s remotely involved in what happened,” Chloe said.

“No one expects you to find the answer. Don’t take this the wrong way, but you’re only human. What’s going on is way beyond that,” Raziel said.

“Maybe, but they only way I stop myself from going crazy here is by being useful and doing what I do best. Celestial investigation or not, it’s still an investigation,” Chloe said.

Raziel walked over and peered at the piece of paper. There were two columns. One was marked ‘victims’ and the other was marked ‘suspect’. He noticed that his brother was marked under the victim’s column, along with Chloe and her ex-husband. “Why is Samael under victims. He wasn’t injured.

“He’s still a victim, and he was the motivation. It’s always important to note that,” Chloe said.

“I’m glad you don’t blame him,” Raziel said.

“Why should I blame Lucifer? Like I said, he’s a victim,” Chloe said. As far as she was concerned, Lucifer had been just as wronged here as she was, and it had potential to get worse for him.

“Many would see him as being the cause. If you didn’t know him, no one would be trying to kill you,” Raziel said.

“If I didn’t know him, I would’ve been dead a long time ago,” Chloe said. She in no way held any grudges against Lucifer. She couldn’t deny being overwhelmed after learning he was actually the Devil, but she was coming to terms with that, especially when she knew the reason he was kicked out of Heaven. It really wasn’t on him. It wasn’t his fault his father couldn’t handle teenage rebellion. 

Raziel smiled and looked at all other column on the notepad. “Are all of these human suspects?”

“Uh, despite the heading they’re under, I wouldn’t consider all of them suspects. They’re really just people I knew would be on that plane,” Chloe said. For instance, Maze and Ella were on the list, but she didn’t consider either of them suspects. She added them because she was trying to take anything personal out of the equation as she tried to determine who was responsible.

“A human can’t be responsible for this,” Raziel said.

“And what if one of them isn’t human?” Chloe asked. As far as she knew they were all human, aside from Maze, but she wouldn’t really know any different. The Maze thing was another thing that through her for a loop. It occurred to her not long after she was told the truth that her roommate was actually a demon. It scared her for a bit, but then she remembered that Maze had ample opportunity to hurt her and never did. 

“You think someone is posing as a human? But wouldn’t Samael have noticed?” he asked.

“They’re hiding from your father. You think they can’t hide from Lucifer?” Chloe asked.

Raziel had to admit that she had a point. It shouldn’t be possible for whoever it was to shield themselves from his father, but it was. Anything was possible. “I suppose you’re right. So, who are all these people?”

“Like I said, they’re people who knew I’d be on the plane, which aren’t many. A few people from the station, my roommate, and my babysitter. And of course, Lucifer, but for obvious reasons, we all know he had no part in it. Maze, I’m sure didn’t either, and I highly doubt the babysitter did, but I’m trying to think about this unbiasedly.”

“Let me help. Start with your roommate,” Raziel said.

“You’d suspect her. She’s a demon, but she’s had many chances to hurt me over the years. She hasn’t. She’s a friend. If anything, I almost pity whoever did this if Maze gets her hands on them. The next, my daughter’s sitter, Nicole. I can’t imagine she’d do this, but I’ll keep her as a possibility.

“Have you known her long?” Raziel asked.

“About six months. My last sitter moved away, and I had to get a new one,” Chloe told him.

“It’s likely that whoever did this hasn’t been around long. Maybe a year at the most,” Raziel said.

Chloe circled Nicole’s name. She also circled Ella’s, a new detective’s, and Pierce’s. All of them had been in her life a year or less. She didn’t suspect Ella for a second, but again, she wanted to remain in detective mode and keep it unbiased. “I’ve known all of these people no longer than a year.”

“Who would you say is the most likely?” Raziel asked.

“I have no reason to suspect any of them. None of them have had problems with me or Lucifer,” she said. 

“It’s possible that none of these people did it.”

“Yeah, well, it’s the only lead I have right now. I think I’m going to go rest for a while,” Chloe said before standing up and heading to the bedroom.


	12. Chapter 12

Maze was meeting with Amenadiel again. This time they met in the office he rented by Linda’s office. She told him about her suspicions regarding Pierce. 

“You think Lieutenant Pierce murdered Chloe? Why?” Amenadiel asked.

“I don’t know, but he wouldn’t have lied to me otherwise. He said faulty wiring was responsible for the plane crash. I know for a fact it wasn’t, and that he knows it wasn’t,” Maze said.

“Maybe he’s trying to protect his investigation. Maybe he’s worried about civilians getting involved. It’s not farfetched. Lucifer would more than get involved if he knew, and as he’s worked with him, the lieutenant would know that,” Amenadiel said.

Maze shook her head. “Something isn’t right with this guy. He keeps showing up at the house even though he has no reason to. Anything he might have to say to any of us could be said over the phone, or even more likely, through one of his people. The first time he showed up was right after Decker and Espinoza died. He was cold about it. It didn’t seem to bother him too much that they were dead, or that everyone was reeling from it. At least he didn’t care until Trixie out and out blamed him for it. He got really uncomfortable then.”

“I think that would make a lot of people uncomfortable,” Amenadiel said.

“Yeah, especially if you’re responsible. It was Pierce that sent them away, you know? He put them on that plane. Even Chloe didn’t understand it. She fumed about it all morning. She said it would’ve made more sense for him to send officers or to make the Florida cops come here than to send two homicide detectives. She thought he was punishing them or something, but maybe he knew exactly what would happen,” Maze told him.

“But it doesn’t make sense. Why would he do it. Why did he want Chloe dead? He doesn’t seem to have a grudge against her. Unless…”

“What?” Maze asked when Amenadiel didn’t immediately finish his thought. 

“The only thing I can think of is that Pierce isn’t the one who wanted Chloe dead. Maybe he was following orders from someone else,” Amenadiel.

“The bastard was just a freaking hitman,” Maze realized.

“Maybe. If it was an angel, it would make sense. When Uriel threatened Chloe’s life, he had to find a way around the rule about not killing humans. He used his gift to alter patterns and cause an accident. Whoever is responsible for Chloe’s death now may have used Pierce to avoid breaking the rule,” Amenadiel explained.

“Your father really needs to make his rules more clear,” Maze said with a scowl before standing up.

“Where are you going?” Amenadiel asked. It was really a dumb question. He saw that look on her face. He knew exactly what she wanted to do. 

“To torture a name out of Pierce. Then I’m going to make both of them pay for what they did to Decker before I deliver what’s left of them to Lucifer!” Maze said with a growl. 

“Maze we don’t even know yet that Pierce is responsible for Chloe’s death, let alone that he’s working with anyone. This is all just speculation. And even if we are right, we don’t how if he’s being watched. We don’t want to tip our hand right now,” Amenadiel.

“So, we sit back and let these bastards get away with what they did,” Maze asked, clearly not liking that plan.

“Assuming our theory is correct, we let them think they have. We do what Lucifer and Chloe would do. We find evidence. We make sure we have all the answers before we make a move,” Amenadiel said.

“Fine, but this better happen quick. I told you that no one would kill Chloe on my watch. Well, maybe they have, but they won’t get away with it,” Maze said firmly.

“They won’t. We just have to be careful. We should also look out for Trixie. If it was an angel responsible, they did it to hurt Lucifer,” Amenadiel said. Honestly, a part of him wanted to tell Lucifer, so that he could protect the child better, but Amenadiel feared his brother would lose it and go after Pierce, which might just put Trixie in greater danger. 

“And since Chloe’s death, the kid is now the closest person there is to Lucifer. No one’s hurting that little human! And if Pierce so much as enters her general vicinity again, no one will ever find all of his body parts!” Maze vowed before heading for the door. 

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Chloe was starting to go stir crazy. Every day that passed was worse and worse, especially since no one seemed any closer to figuring out who was trying to kill her. She could think of little else besides her daughter, and how she was dealing with all of this. She was all alone dealing with the loss of both her parents. Well, Chloe’s mother was with her, but that wasn’t exactly reassuring.

Chloe soon heard someone enter the room. She looked up from her place on the couch to see God approach her.

“Hello, Detective Decker. You wished to see me?” he asked.

“Yeah. Have you made any progress at all in finding who is behind all of this?” Chloe asked. She’d been trying herself by trying to make a suspect list, but it wasn’t going that well. She had a few people that might have done it, but she had no evidence to follow. There wasn’t a lead she could investigate, partially because she had been locked in Heaven.

“If I had, I assure you, I would’ve told you. This situation is proving to be difficult, and it frustrates me as much as it does you,” God told her.

“Given that it’s me being held prisoner and not you, somehow I doubt that,” Chloe mumbled.

“I wouldn’t call it that. You’re not being held prisoner. You’re being protected,” he said.

“Why’s that door locked then?” Chloe asked as she pointed to the door several feet away. She’d tried it not long after she got there. She was sure it would be locked, but she decided to test it anyway.

“Because I don’t know who is behind this. Anyone on this plane could be involved. That is why only a select few know that you are here, and can access these rooms,” God explained.

“You think one of your children are responsible,” Chloe said. It honestly was no shock to her. What other being could’ve done it.

“Unfortunately, yes. I must be sure that whoever is cannot find you. They wouldn’t dare hurt you under my watch, but that doesn’t mean they won’t try to find a way to remove you from this place. Plus, it would alert them that I’m onto the scheme,” he said.

“Doesn’t a locked set of rooms they can’t enter raise a red flag?” Chloe asked.

“Not in this case. No one has entered these rooms in millennia. They have been off limits since Samael last inhabited them,” God told her.

“These were Lucifer’s rooms?” Chloe asked in shock. She had been staying in Lucifer’s suite in Heaven, sleeping in his bed. Oh, she could just imagine the sexual innuendos that were waiting for her when she made it back home. 

“Indeed. It’s the one place I knew no one would look,” God said.

Chloe nodded. “Okay, I get why I have to be here, but why can’t Lucifer at least be told. He could help.”

“Have you ever seen my son’s poker face?” God asked.

Chloe sighed after a minute. She got the point. Lucifer had no poker face. He didn’t lie. Everything that came out of his mouth was the absolute truth. She wasn’t even sure he could lie. Of course, I situation like this could certainly test that, but it went against everything he believed in. She wasn’t even sure it was right to ask him to do that.

“It’s best not to get him involved. His grief, as unfortunate as it is, is helping. Your loss has devastated him. That cannot be faked. No one could possibly believe he’s hiding you,” he said.

Tell me something. Why did you save me? I’m just another human that was on that plane. There were hundreds, and you didn’t save any of them. You didn’t need me alive to get to the bottom of who was doing it. Why intervene to save me? You said yourself that you don’t usually do it,” Chloe said.

“For one, I went to great lengths to ensure your existence. It infuriates me that someone, possibly even one of my own children, thought that they had the right to undo that,” God said with an edge to his voice.

“What?” Chloe asked in confusion. 

“John and Penelope Decker had problems conceiving a child. They were infertile. I sent Amenadiel down to grant them the miracle they were looking for,” God answered.

“Why?” Chloe asked in disbelief. She couldn’t even begin to take that in. She wasn’t actually planned for this world. She only existed because God deemed it necessary. That was kind of freaky, although, after the last month, she shouldn’t really be that shocked.

“For my son. I envisioned that the miracle I was providing would enter his orbit one day. He could find happiness. I want my son to be happy, and on a more selfish note, I hoped you’d bring my son home,” God explained.

“Why not just say ‘I made a mistake. You can come home now’? Wouldn’t that have been easier?” Chloe asked.

God laughed loudly. “You know my son better than almost anyone. Do you honestly think it would’ve been easier?”

Chloe sighed. “Well, he can certainly be stubborn, so who knows?”

“Believe me, I do. He hasn’t wanted to be here in a long time. He wouldn’t have come home if I simply asked,” God said.

“Can you blame him? Why would he come back to those who rejected him?” Chloe asked.

“I didn’t reject my son!” God said in a slightly raised tone. “Sending him away was more difficult than you can comprehend. Despite what everyone believes, I didn’t do it to punish him. I did it because he was miserable here. I couldn’t stand to see him that way.”

“So, you sent him to Hell. Even if you needed to send him away, you didn’t have to send him to Hell,” Chloe said.

“Back then, Hell was just a place. The name was just a name. There was no significance at all. It did become a place for souls to be punished, and Samael became its ruler, but it was never meant to a place to torment him. It was only meant to give him space. He was able to leave whenever he wished. He was able to return home whenever he wished. He only ever had to ask,” God explained.

“It might help if you told him that,” Chloe said dryly. Admittedly, God wasn’t as bad as she thought before today, but was still an idiot. Things could be much different if he just had a simple conversation with his son.

“Perhaps. Unfortunately, the situation was made worse by his mother,” God said with a scowl.

“His mother? Charlotte?”

“Yes and no. The woman you know now as Charlotte Richards is human, but just before you met her, she was killed. My ex-wife inhabited her body, where she proceeded to destroy any good thoughts my son might have had of me,” God said angrily.

Chloe winced a little at God’s anger. He had a glint in his eyes that made it look like he could destroy countries with his rage. “How?”

“She told him I wanted him dead, and that the only way to save him was to convince me to send him to Hell. It was a vicious lie that I almost destroyed her for,” God said with a scowl. He’d seriously almost stuck her down on the spot, but it wouldn’t really have done him any good.

Chloe was disgusted. What kind of mother did that? What was the point of that, other than to completely destroy Lucifer’s self-worth? What must he have thought of himself after being told that his own father wanted him dead?

“Indeed,” God said as he listened to her thoughts. “Oh, I apologize. I said I wouldn’t do that.

“It’s okay. Why would she do that?”

“To protect herself. He was ready to send her back to Hell. He felt abandoned by her. So, she decided to make me evil in his eyes. That only continued as time went on. She convinced him I’d created you as a way to manipulate him. I can’t deny having my own selfish reasons for bringing you into the world, but it was between you and him where anything went,” God told her.

Chloe looked at God in astonishment as a thought came to her. “Wait a second. Lucifer knows you created me to meet him? Is that why he took off to Vegas?”

“Yes. His mother told him in hopes that it would enrage him enough to return here and attempt to kill me. It didn’t exactly work out the way she wanted. Samael believed I manipulated your feelings for each other. He thought you had no choice in the matter. It wasn’t true. My involvement ended when you were conceived, and it only happened because I foresaw the impact it would have on him,” God explained.

“Oh, wow! Would you leave me alone for a while? I need time to think about this,” she said. She was on information overload again. She always thought that Lucifer just couldn’t handle a real relationship, but it seemed it went much deeper than that. She had to think it all through.

“Certainly,” God said. He was gone in an instant.


	13. Chapter 13

Lucifer was in the kitchen making dinner while Trixie sat and went on about what was going on in school and with her friends. “We’re gonna be doing a school play and I get to have a big role with a lot of lines. I’ve done plays before, but I usually only get to say a couple of things. This is gonna be so much more fun. You gotta help me learn my lines.”

“Do I?” Lucifer said with amusement in his voice. 

“Uh huh. I’ve got to practice. And you’ve gotta come to the play too. We get to put it on for all the parents at night in a couple of weeks. You will come, right?” Trixie asked

Lucifer cringed. He could think of a lot of things he’d rather do than attend a child’s play. Practically anything else seemed more interesting to him. But it was important to Trixie. She needed someone to be there to cheer for her. Her parents were gone, so it was up to him now. He would not let her down. “Yes, I will attend.”

“Yes! I wish Mommy could be there, but you be, so it’ll be okay. Maze has to come to,” Trixie said.

“Oh, I agree, Spawn,” Lucifer said with a smirk. If he had to do this, it only seemed right that Maze should suffer through it as well.

“Oh, I got my invitation to my friend, Clair’s birthday party. Her birthday’s in two weeks, and her parents are letting her have a camping trip for her birthday with five of her friends,” Trixie said.

“Why on Earth would anyone want to go camping for their birthday? It sounds like a good way to torture one’s self,” Lucifer said with a cringe.

“No, it’s fun,” Trixie said.

“You consider sleeping outside fun?” Lucifer asked in disbelief.

“Uh huh. We get tents and sleep in sleeping bags. We get to go swimming in the lake and we get to roast marshmallows. I can go, can’t I Lucifer?” Trixie asked. She gave a small pout, just in case he was going to say no. She knew how to get what she wanted from Lucifer.

“I don’t have to go, do I?” Lucifer asked with a bit of worry. He would do it if had to, especially with the look the child was giving him now, but he really didn’t want to. The very idea of being out in the woods made him cringe hard. 

“No, but you have to meet Clair’s mommy and daddy, and you have to get me new camping stuff. Daddy had our other stuff. It’s probably gone now,” Trixie said sadly.

“Of course, child. We will get you the best there is to offer. I believe it is also customary to get the child a gift, yes?” Lucifer asked.

“Uh huh. We have to go and get it soon. This is going to be so much fun! I can’t wait!”

“What’s going to be fun?” Maze asked as she entered the house.

Trixie turned and smiled at her friend. “Hi, Maze! We were talking about the camping trip my friend is having.”

“Camping? Why would anybody want to do that?” Maze asked.

“Thank you, Maze. I asked the same thing,” Lucifer said as he brought two bowls filled with pasta to the table. He then got Trixie some juice and poured himself a glass of wine. He sat down next to the child.

“It’s fun. We’re gonna go for the whole weekend,” Trixie said.

“Wait, you’re going,” Maze said before looking to Lucifer. “You’re letting her go?”

Lucifer frowned a bit, not understanding why he shouldn’t let the child go. “Why not? I may not see the point in it, but the child insists she’ll have fun. Why shouldn’t she go if she wants?”

“Well, with everything that’s happened, I figured it’s better to just keep her close. Besides, who wants to sleep in the woods?” Maze asked. Honestly, she didn’t like the idea to Trixie being away from them with Pierce and whatever dick he was working for on the loose. They already killed Chloe and Dan. Who knew what they’d do to Trixie.

“I do. I want to go,” Trixie said near tears, afraid that she wasn’t going to be allowed to go with her friends.

“None of that, Spawn. You will be allowed to go. Maze, it is fine. I’m not certain why you’re hovering like this. It’s not like anything will happen, but she knows to pray to me if it does,” Lucifer said. He wanted to make sure Trixie was always safe He made sure she knew how to contact him in case of an emergency. Chloe had died because she didn’t know the truth, and as such, couldn’t pray for help. That wouldn’t happen with Trixie.

“Right. When is this trip?” Maze asked.

“In two weeks. We leave Friday night and come back Sunday,” Trixie said.

“Oh. As it turns out, I’ve got a bounty trip that weekend,” Maze said. She wasn’t lying either. She would be following the kid, and if Pierce tried anything, she would bounty his ass.

Trixie’s face fell. “You’re leaving again.”

“It’s fine, little human. It won’t take long. I’ll probably be back right after you are,” Maze told her.

“Okay,” Trixie said reluctantly.

“Eat, child. Then you need to do your homework. Although, I don’t really understand the purpose of homework. They should be able to teach you all you need to know in a school day,” Lucifer said.

Trixie smiled mischievously. “Does that mean I don’t have to do it?”

Lucifer rolled his eyes. “No, it doesn’t. You have to do it because if you don’t, I get called and yelled at, and then I in turn have to yell at you. I think we can both agree that it’s not fun.”

Trixie laughed and began eating her food.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Pierce was on his way to his car. He had just left the office for the day. When he reached his car, he found his partner and crime leaned against his car. He immediately ran over to him. “What the hell are you doing? We can’t be seen together.”

“Relax. Lucifer doesn’t work here anymore, and who cares if a bunch of humans see us talking,” he said.

Pierce sighed. “I’ve been trying to get ahold of you for weeks.”

“Yes, well, I’m not at your beckon call. Besides, I can’t figure out how these contraptions work to answer your calls,” he said as he pulled out a cellphone.

“It would be a lot easier if I could pray to you,” Pierce said.

“That would give us away in an instant. Honestly, you’d think a human who’d been around for centuries would be a little smarter. Any sign of Chloe Decker?”

“No. It has been over three months. If she was alive, shouldn’t she have made her way back by now?” Pierce asked.

“She’s alive. She probably has help, possibly Lucifer,” the man said.

Pierce shook his head. “No. I considered it, but Lucifer’s grieving. That can’t be faked. He thinks she’s dead.”

He smiled, pleased to hear that Lucifer was suffering. “Good. Perhaps Amenadiel or the demon are helping her, or perhaps she’s just stuck in a hospital clinging to life. If that’s the case, we can find and kill her before Lucifer ever learns she was alive.”

“What about your brethren. Maybe they’re helping. Maybe even your father,” Pierce said

The man waved off that idea. “Absurd. My father wouldn’t involve himself with one human, and he would never allow a human brought back from the dead either. Even if he would consider intervening to save Decker just before she died, he couldn’t have known about it. I’m keeping us both hidden from him.”

“From God? How the hell are you managing that?” Pierce said.

“Don’t ask questions. Just do as I’ve told you,” the man sneered.

“There’s another problem. Lucifer thinks Chloe’s dead, but he hasn’t made one move to return to Hell,” Pierce said.

“It doesn’t really matter if his detective is still alive. He’d only come back if he found that out,” he said.

“But he likely wouldn’t return to Hell even when she really is dead. Decker’s no longer his only tie to Earth. He’s also connected to her daughter. He’s been raising the child,” Pierce said. At first, he thought that Lucifer just clung to Trixie to feel better after Chloe’s death, and maybe out of a sense of obligation. He figured Lucifer would get tired of it soon enough and go back to Hell, but that didn’t happen. It had been months, and Lucifer continued to care for the girl. There was no indication that he was going to stop.

“Lucifer is taking care of a kid?” he asked in disbelief.

Pierce nodded. “He’s not just going to simply leave.

“Then something has to be done.”

“You’re not suggesting I kill a child,” Pierce said with an edge to his voice.

“Oh, don’t pretend you aren’t capable of it, Cain. How many kids do you think were on that plane that you crashed and blew up? It’s a bit late to pretend you have morals. And I’m not suggesting you kill the brat, not now anyway. It would only draw attention to us. We have time anyway. It doesn’t matter until Decker is dead. Find her,” he said before disappearing.


	14. Chapter 14

Chloe was getting incredibly antsy. She felt like she was going crazy. It had been months since she trapped in Lucifer’s suite in Heaven. It had been that long since she even laid eyes on her daughter, which was basically all she could think about. She was worried about Trixie. She knew her daughter had to be devastated. She’d lost both her parents, and had probably been uprooted from her home. Worse, she was with Chloe’s mother, and Chloe knew her mother, while having good intentions, would not be able help her daughter though this. She just wasn’t built for properly taking care of a child. Most of the time, she could barely take care of herself. That didn’t even account for the grief she had to be feeling, because no matter what, Chloe knew her mother loved her and was devastated by her ‘death’.

Chloe also had Lucifer on her mind. After everything she’d learned, she knew he had to be reeling from it all too, and she couldn’t help him. Armed with the knowledge she had, she thought about everything that happened between them. She’d thought long and hard about the whole Vegas thing. She knew now that he left because he thought their feelings for each other were forced. He wasn’t afraid of committing, nor were his feelings for her just a passing thing that stopped, both options she’d considered before. He had simply believed it to be something that was orchestrated by someone else. 

Chloe finally felt like she understood where Lucifer had bene coming from. It had to have hurt to think her feelings for him weren’t real, as well as his for her. On top of that, he hadn’t even had the chance to deal with it before she got sick. Who wouldn’t want to leave for a while after all that?

Of course, Chloe was also irritated with Lucifer over it. He should’ve talked to her. The choices he made affected her too. Instead of running, he should’ve talked to her and let her have a say in what happened. Of course, how much could he really tell her? She wouldn’t have believed the truth. She already hadn’t believed any of the talk about the Devil and God. She certainly wouldn’t have believed that God created her for Lucifer, his son. Still, running away wasn’t the answer. When this was over, she and Lucifer needed to have a long conversation about everything. That was providing this nightmare ever ended

In between all that thinking, Chloe tried to pinpoint who might be trying to kill her, but doing police work wasn’t so easy when you were trapped in Heaven with no access to resources and no ability to question suspects. She mainly had to let others do the investigating for her, which she wasn’t good at. 

Chloe’s thoughts were soon interrupted by a voice entering the room.

“Hey, Chloe. How are you today?”

To her credit, Chloe didn’t flinch at the sudden appearance of Lucifer’s brother. She’d say she’d gotten a bit used to surprise visits over the last few months. “Raziel. I’m annoyed. I get more so the longer I’m here.”

“I know. If it means anything at all, we’re not exactly happy either. The longer this goes on, the angrier Dad gets at it all. No one’s ever challenged his authority like this, not even Samael,” Raziel said with a shudder. It was hard to imagine that anyone could rebel worse than Samael had, but that was where they were now, and it was making his father livid. 

“Lucifer would never do something like this,” Chloe commented. 

“No, he wouldn’t. He respects the big rules.”

“So, who doesn’t? Who hates Lucifer so much that they would go so far?” Chloe asked.

“Sam’s made a lot of enemies here. When he went against Dad’s rules, most were extremely angry. They turned on him in an instant,” Raziel said.

“Yeah. How dare he want to live his own life? It’s such a terrible sin,” Chloe said sarcastically. She was disgusted to hear that Lucifer’s siblings had all turned on him because he dared to try to choose his own path. All he wanted was find his own life separate from his father’s rules. It wasn’t’ fair that he was punished for that. Yes, God had told her that it wasn’t a punishment, but Lucifer certainly saw it as such, and apparently so did his siblings.

“You have to understand that Free Will wasn’t something that any of us had ever known. It was unheard of to ask for it, and it certainly was to defy our father when he forbid it. Going against Dad was unthinkable. So, yes, a lot of our siblings blamed Sam. However, I can’t think of a single one that would go against Dad to hurt him,” Raziel said.

“It would certainly be hypocritical of them to hate Lucifer for defying your father just to do it themselves. But one of them clearly did, and no one has a clue who it was. God, I hate this. If I wasn’t trapped here, I could be working to figure out who was doing this,” Chloe said.

“You seemed to be working well on that earlier. You had a list of suspects,” Raziel said.

“Yeah, and it’s going nowhere because I can’t investigate. I have no evidence or anyway to search for it, like I would if I had access to police resources,” Chloe vented.

“Like I said, we’re frustrated too. Dad’s blind when it comes to this whole thing,” Raziel said.

“When exactly did that start?” Chloe asked. If she knew that at least, she could pinpoint exactly when whoever was responsible started plotting her death. 

“A month or two before your plane crashed. Around the same time Samael sent our mother to a new universe,” Raziel answered. 

Chloe thought back. That had to be around the time that Charlotte lost her memory, when they were about to arrest her. That was the same night Lucifer disappeared after leaving her a voicemail promising to tell her everything. He came back claiming to be kidnapped. “Raziel, were you aware that Lucifer was kidnapped around that time?”

Raziel frowned. “No.”

“He woke up in the desert and came back saying that someone attacked him and left him there. This is too big to be a coincidence,” Chloe said.

“I think I should get my father,” Raziel said.

Chloe nodded. “I think you’re right.”

Raziel disappeared a second later. 

While she waited, Chloe thought about Lucifer’s kidnapping. This all had to have started with that moment. Whoever was responsible for trying to kill her and murdering Dan also had to be the one who took Lucifer. The only thing was, she didn’t know what connected those two events. How did kidnapping Lucifer help this person with going after her?

Chloe couldn’t believe it had taken her this long to connect all of this to Lucifer’s abduction. She should’ve thought about it. She should’ve considered everything strange that happened around the time of the plane crash, and as it only happened shortly before, Lucifer’s kidnapping qualified.

Seconds later, Raziel reappeared with his father, who greeted Chloe with a smile. “Hello, Detective. Raziel tells me you may have a theory.”

“Did you know Lucifer was kidnapped several months ago?” Chloe asked.

“Yes, I did, and yes, I agree, the incidents are likely connected,” God told her. 

“Lucifer thought it was you who arranged the kidnapping at first,” Chloe said.

“Yes, he usually assumes I’m to blame when something of the sort happens. To be fair, it was a logical conclusion, considering his wings returned at the same time. But that was merely a coincidence, and neither event was my doing.” God explained.

Chloe thought about asking how Lucifer got his wings back if not for God, but she decided it wasn’t important right now. Finding out who was screwing with them was the important thing. “Later, he thought it was someone called the Sinnerman. I didn’t believe him because there was no proof such a person existed, but this being might be who is after me.”

“Yes, I’ve caught conversations with Samael about the name you mentioned. I don’t know who the Sinnerman is though. To be frank, while I have the ability to know anything about any human I choose, that is if he was human, typically, I choose not to. I did try to find out when I heard the name. Unfortunately, it is one of the things I have been blinded to,” God explained.

“So that means it is the Sinnerman then,” Chloe said.

“It seems likely,” God said.

“Raziel said you started to lose your ability to see certain things around the time Lucifer was abducted. Has that been the case with Lucifer or me since then?” Chloe asked.

“Yes, to both. It is what alerted me to the fact that something was going to happen. It is why I asked Azrael to pay close attention to anything happening to you. I wasn’t certain that someone would attempt to take your life, but it isn’t the first time one of my children attempted to kill you,” God said.

Chloe’s jaw dropped a bit. “It’s not?”

“We can discuss this later if you like. You seem to be on to something here,” God reminded her.

“Right. So, if you haven’t been able to see Lucifer or me much, it must mean that we’ve seen this being often,” Chloe deduced. 

“Not necessary. It may mean that he or she is watching you unbeknownst to you,” God told her.

“Okay, well, for argument’s sake, let’s assume, we have seen this person,” Chloe said before picking up the notepad from the table with her suspect list. She crossed off the name of her daughter’s baby sitter. Lucifer had never even laid eyes on her. “These are the people we’re both around constantly in the last year.”

God walked over and sat down next to her. “You’ve already crossed off my son’s demon friend, I see.”

“Yeah, I never really considered her a suspect, but I figured it was best to be thorough. However, she’s been in my life as long as Lucifer has. It can’t be her, The other name I crossed of is my daughter’s baby sitter. She’s never even met Lucifer, so it can’t be her. 

“Agreed. You may also cross of Ella Lopez. I have no trouble seeing her. Besides, he soul is pure,” he said.

Chloe nodded and crossed out Ella’s name. Like Maze, she never considered her a suspect, plus, she’d been around too long for it to be here. “The only ones left are Detective Alexander Philips and Lieutenant Marcus Pierce. We’re around others, but these two started just a few months ago.”

“Pierce. I don’t recognize that name,” God said. That in itself was suspicious. He should be able to place the name of every human born. All he had to do was think of their name and location, and he would have whatever information he required. This man was a mystery. There was no Marcus Pierce that resided in Los Angeles California. That meant it wasn’t his true name. Still, he should be able to locate him just by knowing his general vicinity, however, God was quite certain that would not work. They’d found their culprit, in a sense anyway.

“Pierce is the one who gave us the assignment. It never made sense to send to homicide detectives out of state to handle a suspect transport,” Chloe said as it started to click for her that it must have been Pierce. “But it makes no sense for him to want me dead. He doesn’t have a grudge against Lucifer. In fact, he seems to like Lucifer.”

“People aren’t as open as Samael is. It is likely that he is hiding his true motives,” God said before turning to his son. “Raziel, I have an assignment for you. I need information on this person. I don’t know if he is one of your siblings, or simply a human that is being used. I want you to go and speak to with Amenadiel. Be very discreet, and reveal nothing, other than you believe that there is a problem regarding a human name Marcus Pierce.”

“Yes, Father,” Raziel said before flying away.

“If Pierce is the one behind this, why don’t you just handle it yourself now,” Chloe asked. She was more than a little impatient. She wanted to go home.

“Because I’m not convinced he’s the true culprit. He might simply be what humans refer to as a hitman. If that’s the case, revealing my hand would not be wise,” God explained before rising to his feet.

Chloe sighed. That actually made sense, which she probably would’ve realized if she weren’t so anxious to go home. She needed this to be over. It had already been several months since she got to see Trixie. How much longer was it going to be?

“I understand that this must be very frustrating for you. I assure you, I am no more pleased than you are regarding this circumstances,” Cod said

“I…I don’t even know if my daughter is okay. I don’t know how she is dealing with thinking both her parents are dead or being forced out of her home. She has to be devastated,” Chloe said sadly.

“I can’t say that your child hasn’t suffered due to the losses she’s been forced to endure, but I can assure you that she is doing alright. She is being well taken care of,” God promised.

“Yeah, you can say that, and I know you probably believe it, but I won’t until I can see her for myself,” she said firmly. This wasn’t something she could just take someone else’s word for, even when that someone else was God himself. She had to see Trixie for herself to know she was okay.

God stared at her for a minute, considering her words carefully. He then searched for his son and the young girl in his care. He found them quite easily. “Very well. If you would like, I can allow you to view your child from my eyes. You can observe her. But I have to warn you, I have never done this before. I don’t know how overwhelming it might be.”

Chloe immediately jumped up from her seat, excited at the mere prospect of seeing her daughter again. “I don’t care how overwhelming it is. I need to see my daughter.”

God extended both his hand hands. “Take my hands and try to prepare yourself.”

Without any hesitation, Chloe grabbed onto both his hands. “Will you show me Lucifer too? I need to know how he’s doing.”

God smiled. “I think that is very possible.”

Chloe watched as he closed his eyes. A glow engulfed both of them. Before she knew it, Chloe was no longer in Heaven, but some sort of store. It wasn’t long before she heard Trixie’s voice.

“This one looks prettier,” the young voice said.

“If you mean brighter and more blinding, I agree, but this one will keep you warmer,” a voice said in a British accent that Chloe immediately recognized.

Chloe turned to see both her partner and her daughter standing side by side looking at sleeping bags. She was surprised. She didn’t expect to find her daughter with Lucifer. She figured she’d be somewhere with her mother.

“It won’t be that cold. We live in LA,” Trixie argued.

“Yes, well, it’s still chilly for humans at night, and since you insist on spending the weekend outdoors, which I still cannot understand, you must make sure you are warm. I will not have you developing hyperthermia,” Lucifer said.

Chloe laughed. She was really confused by what was going on, but it was good to hear Lucifer being Lucifer. 

“What’s that?” Trixie wondered.

“I’m sure they’ll teach it to you in school eventually. It is unimportant now, since I will make certain that it doesn’t happen,” Lucifer said before placing the sleeping bag in the cart. They both then started walking. They stopped a couple of isles down and Lucifer started looking at cans of insect repellent. “You will certainly need this. Bugs carry insane diseases now.”

“We already have that,” Trixie said.

“Well, extra wouldn’t hurt,” Lucifer said before picking up a few cans and putting it into the cart. “You’ll use this often, not just when you get bitten. By then it might be too late. I insist that you put it on several times a day on all exposed skin, and over your clothing.”

“You’re acting like Mommy,” Trixie grumbled.

Chloe laughed again. Trixie could always tell when she was being overprotective, and it often frustrated her. It was funny to hear her characterize Lucifer the same way. 

“I am not! Though it certainly isn’t a bad thing, is it?” Lucifer asked.

“I guess not. I miss her,” Trixie said sadly.

Lucifer put a hand on the child’s shoulder comfortingly. “Yes, I do too.”

Chloe watched in shock at the exchange between them. She didn’t think Lucifer had ever attempted to touch her child before. He’d put up with her touching him at times, even though it made him uncomfortable, but he’d never gone out of his way to touch or comfort her, like he was now. 

Trixie leaned into his touch for a minute and then pulled away. “Are you sure it’s okay for me to go this weekend. I don’t want you to be alone. Maze won’t even be home.”

“I will be fine, child,” he promised.

This was the last thing Chloe heard before the scene disappeared and she was back in Heaven.

God let go of her hands. “I apologize for the abrupt ending, but I thought it best not to stay too long. I don’t know what it might do to a human to keep that sort of thing going.”

“L…Lucifer’s taking care of my child?” Chloe asked in shock. That hadn’t been clear at first. She had been with him, but it could’ve been as simple as him watching her for a few hours, or agreeing to buy her a few things. However, when Trixie mentioned Lucifer being alone at home without her, it was more clear.

God nodded. “Since the day after he learned of your ‘death’. He didn’t even mean to at first. He just started doing it. It was a week before he even noticed, and it had to be brought to his attention.”

“I never even considered it. I just thought my mom had her,” Chloe said, still having a hard time believing it. Lucifer didn’t like children. That was one of the first things she knew about him. Yet, he took on her child without even knowing he was doing it?

“Yes, I know. Your mother knew that wasn’t what you wanted, and she realized you were right in that aspect. She believed that Samael could do a better job. I assume you’ve come to the conclusion that she was right,” God said. 

“She looked happy,” Chloe said. Trixie clearly still missed her and Dan, but Lucifer was obviously seeing to it that she didn’t fall apart. He was keeping her going, and more than likely, she was keeping him going. “Why didn’t you tell me from the beginning that he was taking care of her.”

“Because I worried how you would take the news,” God said frankly. “At the time, you had just learned my son was the being that people feared from the bible. I wasn’t certain you could accept him caring for your child. Now, however, I think you realize that all of that rubbish is exactly that.”

Chloe nodded. “Lucifer would never hurt Trixie. He would never hurt anyone unless they gave him a reason to. Despite what he and everyone else believes, he is not the Devil. I just wish I could tell him that.”

“I intend to make sure you can.”

“Thank you for showing me. I needed to see them. I needed to know they were okay,” Chloe said.

“Of course. I will leave you now. There are things I should be doing. Let me know if you need anything, Detective,” God said before disappearing.

Chloe sat down and breathed a sigh of relief. She still wanted to get home, but at least she could worry less now. Her daughter was obviously being well taken care of. 


	15. Chapter 15

Amenadiel entered his office and was surprised to find that he wasn’t alone. Standing by the window, there was a man with short blond hair and green eyes. To humans, he appeared in his late teens, but Amenadiel knew he was much older. It was his younger brother. “Raziel.”

“Hello, big brother,” Raziel said with a smile.

“What are you doing here?” Amenadiel asked.

“I’m on an assignment,” Raziel said.

Amenadiel stiffened. The last person who said something similar came to force Lucifer into handing their mother over, and had tried to kill Chloe to do it. Amenadiel wondered just briefly if Raziel was the one behind Chloe’s death, but he immediately shook that thought away, and felt badly for thinking it. Raziel was the last person who would ever try to hurt Lucifer. Raziel never understood Lucifer’s choices when he rebelled, but he also didn’t condemn him like most of the rest of them had. 

“It’s nothing like what you’re thinking. I have no interest in hurting anyone, particularly not Sam,” Raziel said.

“You know, he really hates that name,” Amenadiel said.

Raziel shrugged. “It’s hard to think of him by any other name.”

“Why are you here? What’s your assignment?” Amenadiel asked.

“I need information. It has been discovered that there is a problem regarding a human named Marcus Pierce,” Raziel told him.

Amenadiel’s eyes widened at the mention of Pierce. He decided to wait before he gave away knowing anything about the Lieutenant. “Why would you need to know anything about a human?”

“Because that’s what I was told,” Raziel said vaguely. His father’s orders were clear. He wasn’t to give anything away.

“Father wants information on Pierce? He could get that himself,” Amenadiel said, still very confused. Why would his father need to send an emissary to find out about a human? All he had to do was think of what he wanted to know, and the information should come to him in seconds. 

“He asked me to come get the information from you,” Raziel said.

“Which means he hasn’t deemed me worthy of that information,” Amenadiel said in hurt tone. There was a time when he’d have been the first person to know anything that needed to be known. His father would trust him with it above all others. Now, he wasn’t even entitled the most basic information.

“It isn’t personal, Amenadiel. It’s just very sensitive,” Raziel said. He shouldn’t have said even that, but he felt bad for his older brother. 

“This is about Chloe Decker’s death, isn’t it? Father knows a celestial orchestrated it, and he knows Pierce was involved,” Amenadiel said.

Raziel refused to answer, both because he wasn’t supposed to and because he didn’t like to lie. He couldn’t tell Amenadiel that Chloe Decker was alive. No one could know that they were protecting her until they had all the information. It was best to say nothing.

Amenadiel sighed before sitting down on the couch in the middle of the room. “I don’t know much about Pierce. I don’t really know anything, but I suspect that he was involved in killing Chloe Decker in a plane crash, as well as hundreds of others with her.”

“Why do you think that?” Raziel asked.

“Well, we know it wasn’t an accident. Pierce sent her on that plane, and he’s tried to hide that it wasn’t an accident. That’s really all there is. We also believe that a celestial is involved, since Pierce has no reason to want Chloe Decker dead. It seems likely that Pierce is working for someone, and also that the motive behind it was Lucifer.” Amenadiel explained.

“You’ve never gotten the impression that Pierce himself isn’t human?” Raziel asked.

“No. Do you have that impression, brother?” Amenadiel asked. When he received no response, he began to get agitated. He hated being kept in the dark. “Damn it, Raziel! What is going on? I need to know. Lucifer loved Chloe. Now he’s raising her child, who could be in danger!”

Before anything else could be said, the door flew open, revealing Maze. “Hey. I found something about…” she trailed off when she realized Amenadiel wasn’t alone. “Who the hell is this?”

“Maze, this is my brother, Raziel,” Amenadiel said.

Maze shut the door and had two of her knives out in seconds.

Amenadiel immediately shot up from his seat. “Maze, don’t. It’s not what you think. It’s not him.”

“Yeah, how do you know that? You think it’s a coincidence that one of them shows up now?” Maze asked, her eyes focused on the angel standing behind Amenadiel.

“He wouldn’t hurt Lucifer, trust me. He’s looking into Pierce too,” Amenadiel said.

“He’s a yes man daddy’s boy, just like the rest of your lot! You don’t know what he might do!” Maze yelled. 

“My father has nothing to do with what is going on here. He sent me here to try to fix it, to stop Pierce,” Raziel said. 

“Fix it? It’s a bit late, isn’t it? Decker’s dead. If he really wants to fix it, tell him to undo it!”

“He won’t. Father doesn’t abide by human resurrections,” Amenadiel said.

Maze sneered. “Of course not. Why should he be useful?”

“He’s doing what he can,” Raziel protested. 

“Raziel, tell us what’s going on. If you expect us to be able to help, you have to give us something,” Amenadiel said.

Raziel hesitated. His orders were clear. He wasn’t to give anything away. However, they needed help. If they had a little more information, Amenadiel and the demon might be able to help more. Plus, they’d be more inclined to. “Dad’s in the dark.”

“In the dark? What do you mean?” Amenadiel asked in an uneasy tone. 

“I’m certain it means exactly what you think it does. There are things that are being hidden from him, certain people, like Marcus Pierce,” Raziel said.

“That’s impossible,” Amenadiel said in disbelief. In his very long life, he’d never heard of anything that could keep his father from knowing or seeing anything he wanted.

“What the hell can hide from God?” Maze asked.

“We don’t know, but Dad suspects that you’re right, and it’s one of us. We don’t how this person is doing it though,” Raziel explained.

“That’s why you asked if I thought Pierce was human. He’s hidden from Father, so you suspected it was him. Piece isn’t one of us. I would’ve recognized him,” Amenadiel said.

Maze put her blade away and held up the large stack of folders in her hands. She wasn’t certain Amenadiel’s brother could be trusted, but she could see the benefit of having more help. Besides, Amenadiel seemed to have told him everything anyway. “Maybe he’s not an angel, but I don’t think he’s human either. I found these in his apartment.”

Amenadiel took them from her. There were several files, one for every supernatural being that had been known to visit earth. “There are files on me, Lucifer, Mom, and Uriel.”

“Yeah. Lucifer’s goes back and tracks all the times he’s been on Earth. Most of those visits were before Pierce was even born, and at the time, he had no paper trail,” Maze said.

“That doesn’t necessarily mean he isn’t human. It could just mean that whoever he’s working with told him. Although, I can’t imagine why he’d write in a file,” Amenadiel said.

“There’s more,” Maze said as she took a handful of pictures out and handed them to him.

Amenadiel flipped through them. At first, he didn’t know what he was supposed to be looking at, but half way in, he figured it out. There were pictures that were clearly from a different time period. The clothing was too outdated to be modern. 

Raziel looked over his brother’s shoulder as he came to the next photo. “Humans don’t make black and white photos anymore, do they?”

“No,” Amenadiel said before moving onto the next photo. “This one had a clear view of Pierce’s arms, one of which had a distinct mark. Amenadiel recognized it immediately, as he made it. He knew exactly who this man was. Cain.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

“Are you familiar of the story of Cain and Able, Detective,” God asked as he poured himself and Chloe Drinks. He was about to fill her in on what Raziel learned from his trip to Earth.

“From the Bible? Just that Cain murdered his brother Able. Unless that’s not actually true,” Chloe said. She’d learned that many things from the Bible were not true, like what was said about Lucifer.

“It’s true. Cain and his brother Able always had a volatile relationship. Cain murdered his brother and felt nothing afterwards about the deed,” God said before walking over and handing Chloe her drink.

“Well, he’s in good company. There are plenty of murderers in the world who don’t care about what they’ve done,” Chloe said before taking a sip of her drink. It was sad, but she’d become used to stories about murder. She was a homicide detective. She saw and heard it every day.

“Not then there wasn’t. Cain was the first. He was the first person in the world to ever commit such a sin. It made me angry, and it grieves me to admit, but I probably should’ve handled the situation differently,” God told her.

“What do you mean?” she asked.

God sat down next to her. “Like, I said, he was the first murderer. It infuriated me to learn of my creations killing each other. What made it worse was that Able was Cain’s blood. Harming a family member is a line that shouldn’t be crossed. I decided to punish Cain. I cursed him with immortality.”

Chloe snorted. “Immortality. Cain’s punishment was to never die? That seems like a warped way of punishing someone.”

“Yes, Cain said something similar when he learned of his fate. He actually laughed. In his mind, living forever was a blessing. But imagine for a moment, Detective, that everyone you live parishes before you. Your daughter, Samael, your mother, and your friends are all gone. You can’t join them wherever they are. You may be able to move on eventually and find new loved ones, but they will die to. Everyone you meet will one day meet their end, but you won’t. You keep going as the world changes. You have no one,” God said.

Chloe thought about it for a minute. That didn’t sound very appealing after all. It sounded like hell. Already she was without her loved ones, and she hated it. She couldn’t imagine what it would be like to lose everyone and have to go one for eternity. “Yeah, okay, it’s actually a pretty harsh punishment.

“Hmm. And it’s Cain’s reality,” God told her.

“Why are you telling me this?” Chloe asked. It was an interesting story, but she didn’t know what it had to do with her situation. She assumed it had to have some connection though. There was no other reason to tell her this. 

“Because Marcus Pierce is Cain,” he answered.

Chloe’s mouth dropped open in shock. “Cain? Pierce is Cain from the Bible. The first person to ever commit murder is posing as the lieutenant of a homicide unit?”

“Yes, quite ironic, huh?”

Chloe could hardly believe it. She worked with one of the first human beings to ever be created. Although, she supposed she shouldn’t be so shocked after finding out that her partner was the Devil himself. “So, Pierce is responsible for it all. He killed Dan and the other passengers. He’s why you can’t see anything involving him.”

“No. I have no doubt that he himself caused your plane crash, but he couldn’t have kept off my radar himself. Cain is still human. The only extraordinary thing about him is that he can’t die. He is working for someone.”

“Then there’s someone else out there doing this. What now then? Are you going to deal with Pierce, or Cain?” Chloe asked.

“Not yet. I don’t want to risk alerting the mastermind. We must wait a little while longer.”

“How long. Every day that Lucifer and Trixie grieve my death kills me a little more,” Chloe said. She hated what they going through. She was glad they had each other, but it killed her to know they were in pain.

“I don’t know, but I will do whatever I can to end it quickly. I need for your to be patient a bit longer,” God told her.

Chloe reluctantly nodded. It wasn’t as if she had much of a choice. 


	16. Chapter 16

Lucifer was by the sinking cleaning up the dishes from dinner while Trixie sat at the table finishing her homework. It was their normal nighttime routine. After five and a half months, they had it pretty much down pat now.

“I’m done, Lucifer. Can I watch TV now?” Trixie asked. 

“Yes, I suppose,” Lucifer told her.

Lucifer finished loading the dish washer just in time to hear a knock at the door. He sighed and went to answer it. When he opened the door, he found a middle-aged woman with graying dark hair. “Who are you?”

“Hello, Mr. Morningstar. My name is Alice Jackson. I’m with Children Services.”

“What do you want?” Lucifer asked, his featuring darkening. It was a rhetorical question, really. He knew why she was there. To question his parenting.

“May I come in in, sir,” she asked.

Lucifer was tempted to say no, but decided that it wouldn’t help matters. It was better that he just got this over with. The woman couldn’t take Trixie. He had legal custody, and he’d done nothing to jeopardize that.

Lucifer stepped aside to let her in. 

The woman walked inside and noticed the young girl sitting on the couch watching TV. “Hello. You must be Beatrice.”

Trixie turned to them both. She looked at Lucifer, who did not look very happy. That told her right away that she shouldn’t like this lady. “My name’s Trixie.”

“Hello, Trixie. My name’s Alice. I’m a social worker. Do you know what that is?” Alice asked.

Trixie looked at Lucifer with a bit of fear. She did know what a social worker was. She remembered hearing the term one day when her mom was talking to someone about one of her cases, which involved a little kid having to leave his house. She asked her mommy what it meant, and she said that a social worker’s job was to find new homes for kids. This lady wanted to take her away from her home.

“Trixie, you should go put your homework away, and wait for me in your bedroom,” Lucifer said.

“Actually, I was hoping to speak with Trixie, if that’s alright,” Alice said. 

“As if you’re really giving me a choice. Fine,” Lucifer said in an annoyed tone.

“Lucifer?” asked an uneasy and fearful Trixie. 

“It’s alright, child. We just have to answer her questions, and then she will leave,” Lucifer promised. He had no fear that this would do anything other than irritate him. In fact, he wouldn’t allow anything else. He was the Devil. This annoying woman had no power to take Trixie away from.

“Okay,” Trixie said. She trusted Lucifer. If he said nothing bad would happen, she believed him. 

Alice walked over and sat next to Trixie. “I was wondering how you feel about Mr. Morningstar living with you.”

“I love, Lucifer. He does everything for me that Mommy used to do,” Trixie said. It certainly wasn’t the same as having her mom, or her dad, but Lucifer took care of her, just like they did. She was happy he was there.

“He does? Can you tell me what a normal day is like?” Alice asked.

“Lucifer gets me up for school every morning. I get ready while he gets me breakfast. On school days, it’s usually cereal, but he cooks breakfast on the weekends. He takes me to school before he goes to work. He usually picks me up, but sometimes Maze has to. I get to watch TV or play until dinner’s ready. Then I do my homework. If I’m done early, I watch TV. Then I go to bed at eight-thirty. Lucifer reads or sings to me,” Trixie explained.

“It sounds like you have a pretty good routine. You mentioned someone named Maze though. Who is that?” Alice asked.

“She’s our friend. She lives with us, but sometimes she has to go away for work,” Trixie said.

“Is she Lucifer’s girlfriend?”

“No,” Trixie said in a tone that made it clear she thought that was a stupid question. “Maze lived here before Lucifer. She was here before my mom died.”

“Oh, I see. There’s one more thing I’d like to talk about. I’ve heard that Lucifer likes to say he’s the Devil. Do you think that’s true? Do you think he’s the Devil?” she asked.

Lucifer’s eyes darkened. Someone had to inform this woman of that. This was not some random check in, though he’d had a feeling even before that it wasn’t. Someone sent these people after him. 

Trixie looked at Lucifer just for a second before turning back to the woman that wanted to take her from her home. “No. It’s just a funny joke.” She knew it was wrong to lie, and that Lucifer might be upset with her for it, as he hated lying even more than her mom and dad, but she also knew that things would be worse if she told this lady that Lucifer was the Devil. 

“Are you done badgering the child,” Lucifer asked irritably.

Alice didn’t respond.

“Go to your bedroom, Trixie. I shall be there shortly,” Lucifer told her.

Trixie nodded and took off towards her room.

“Are you satisfied now?” Lucifer asked.

Alice stood up and approached him. “It’s my job to make sure that children are receiving the best possible care. Mr. Morningstar, it’s very unusual for children to be placed with their parents work colleagues over family members when their parents die.”

“I’m not sure what you’re point is, nor do I really care,” Lucifer said bluntly. 

“My point is that I wonder how you managed to get the child’s last remaining relative to hand her granddaughter over to you. I know your reputation, Mr. Morningstar. You’re known for getting people to give do things for you,” Alice said.

“Perhaps you should ask Penelope Decker,” Lucifer suggested. 

“I did. She seems quite convinced that her grandchild is better off with you than her. I’m not certain of that. I’ve investigated you.”

“And?” Lucifer asked in a bored tone. He was clearly unconcerned and uninterested in whatever the woman turned up. 

“And I’m not sure I think that any child should be left with a man who calls himself the Devil and has questionable business dealings,” she said.

“Hmm. It’s too bad that what you think is irrelevant,” Lucifer said.

“Mr. Morningstar, do you honestly believe you’re the best option for this child?” Alice asked.

“The best option? No. The best option would be for her mother and father to still alive to take care of her themselves. Unfortunately, that’s not an option. So, I’m the one that will be raising Trixie. Nobody will take her from me,” Lucifer said firmly. 

“Are you planning to adopt her?”

“What I plan is none of your concern. You’ve concluded your pointless investigation, and you’ve come up empty. I have done nothing that gives you the legal right to take Trixie from me,” Lucifer said confidently. She had no grounds to take the child, but he would ensure she couldn’t. He had contacts everywhere, even in Social Services. He would be using them, bot to get this woman off his back, and to find out who had pointed them in his direction in the first place.

“Unfortunately, you’re right. For now,” she said before heading for the door. 

It was a few minutes after the woman left that Trixie came back out. “Lucifer, is everything okay.”

Lucifer turned to her. “Yes, it’s fine, child. She is gone.”

“Is she coming back? Will she take me away? I know that’s what her job is,” Trixie said. She’d been listening and heard that lady say she couldn’t do anything right now, but Trixie was worried she’d come back for her. She didn’t want to leave. This was her home. She wanted to stay with Lucifer. She loved him, and they needed each other. They made each other feel better with her mommy gone.

“No, spawn. You’re not going anywhere. I promise. You know I always keep my promises,” Lucifer told her.

“I know. Why’d she come anyway?” Trixie asked.

“Because someone doesn’t know how to mind their own business,” Lucifer muttered. “It doesn’t matter. She’s gone now. Come. I think we both deserve some ice cream.”

Trixie followed him to the freezer. “You’re not mad at me for lying. I told that lady that I didn’t think you were really the Devil, but I know you are.”

No, I’m not angry, Lucifer said before getting some bowls and spoons. He then start scooping chocolate ice cream into the two bowls. “You know how I feel about lying, but I suppose in this instance it was for the best. However, I don’t want you making a habit of it.

“I won’t, and I promise I won’t ever lie to you, Lucifer,” Trixie said.

“Good,” Lucifer said before handing her a bowl of ice cream. He put the rest of it away and then led the way to the table with his own bowl.

Trixie sat and began eating her ice cream. She looked up at Lucifer after a few minute. “Lucifer, are you going to adopt me?”

“Well, it appears someone was eavesdropping,” Lucifer said. The smirk on his face made it clear that he wasn’t angry.

Trixie smiled back. 

“Do you understand what it would mean if I adopted you?” Lucifer asked. He couldn’t deny that the thought had occurred to him, to make Trixie his one hundred percent. He chose not to think of it too much because he didn’t think Trixie would be too fond the idea. She liked him, but an adoption would make him her father. She would likely assume he was trying to take Daniel’s place.

“Yes. It means that you’d be my dad. My friend Katie is adopted. Her daddy died when she was five because he got sick. Last year, her stepfather adopted her. She was really excited about it. She said she had two dads since she was adopted. I didn’t understand how someone could have two dads. I asked Mommy about it. She said every family is different. Sometimes kids can have more than one mom or dad. She said that just because Katie had a new daddy, it didn’t mean her other one wasn’t her daddy anymore,” Trixie told him. 

“Your mother was very smart. Is that what you want?” Lucifer asked.

“I don’t know. I’m not sure if Daddy would want me to have a new dad. I don’t want him to be hurt or think I don’t love him anymore. I know you said he and Mommy can’t see or hear us, but I don’t want to do anything that would upset him,” Trixie said. She felt really torn. She loved Lucifer like a dad, but she also had another dad, and she didn’t want to do something that would hurt him if he were there.

“That’s alright. You don’t have to decide right now what you want. It would really only be a piece of paper anyway. People would see me as your father, but it wouldn’t make a difference between you and me. You wouldn’t have to call me anything different if you didn’t want to, and I would take care of you the same as I do now. Do you understand what I’m telling you?” Lucifer asked.

“Yeah, I think so. You’re saying you’re already my dad,” Trixie said. That’s what it sounded like. Lucifer was doing the things all other dads did. He took care of her, just like her mommy and daddy did. He told her an adoption wouldn’t make a difference to them. It wouldn’t change how they were with each other. That to her meant that he was saying he was her dad now.

Lucifer was taken aback by the child’s response, but he didn’t disagree with it. Her logic had merit. “Yes, I suppose you’re right.”

“Okay,” Trixie said before finishing up her ice cream. “Can we watch a movie?”

Lucifer checked his watch to see how close it was to the child’s bedtime. “Yes, but we have to find a short on.”

Trixie sprouted up and ran to the couch, making herself comfortable.

Lucifer joined her a moment later and started searching through movies.

Trixie cuddled into Lucifer’s side. “I wish Mommy was here with us. We could be a real family.”

“So do I,” Lucifer said before putting his arms around the child. He no longer had any qualms about giving Trixie comfort. He wasn’t sure when that happened, but it had. Hugging and comforting her had become second nature to him.

“I love you, Lucifer.”

“I love you two, spawn,” Lucifer said after a few moments. He meant every word. He loved this child. He might even love her more than he had her mother, which was something he never dreamed possible.


	17. Chapter 17

Pierce walked into his office. He was surprised to find it occupied. Lucifer Morningstar had made himself comfortable behind his desk. “Did you forget you don’t work here anymore, Lucifer, and that when you did, this wasn’t your office?”

“I think you’re the one that has forgotten I don’t work here anymore, Lieutenant, since you apparently feel the need to concern yourself with my affairs,” Lucifer said. 

“What are you talking about? I couldn’t care less about what you do, so long as it’s no longer the Department’s concern,” Pierce said. 

“Do you take me for a fool, Lieutenant? Or are you just one. Did you really think I wouldn’t make it a point to find out who reported me to Child Services?” Lucifer asked. It hadn’t been heard at all to determine who’d been the cause of that social worker showing up. Pierce didn’t even attempt to hide that it was him. 

“I was looking out for Decker and Espinoza’s kid,” was all Pierce said. Honestly, what he was hoping for was for Social Services to find a reason to take the kid away. That way Lucifer would just go back to Hell, and Pierce didn’t have to worry about being ordered to eventually hurt the child to get her away from Lucifer. 

“Were you? Daniel was your own personal whipping boy. You couldn’t even be bothered to pronounce his name right half the time.”

“And you were better? I hear you used to call him Detective Douche,” Pierce said. 

Lucifer went on without even bothering to respond to Pierce’s comments.

“And Chloe didn’t even like you. You barely knew either of them, yet you care to give a damn about their offspring?” Lucifer asked skeptically.

“I don’t need to have known them well to care about what happens to an innocent kid. I think we both know no kid belongs in your care, and that Decker and Espinoza would agree.

Lucifer stood up angrily and slammed his hands on the desk. He couldn’t help it. The bastard hit a nerve. He always believed Chloe wouldn’t be happy if she knew he was looking after Trixie. “I think it’s none of your bloody business! You are nothing to me or that little girl! Now, I don’t know what you thought you’d accomplish by making that call, but it was a waste of my time and yours. That child will remain in my care.”

“If you’re so sure, what are you worried about?” Pierce asked smugly. 

“Oh, I’m not worried. As I said, all you did was waste both of our times. Your little stunt was nothing more than an annoyance. Or at least it would’ve been if you hadn’t frightened my child with the prospect of another person being taken away from her.” Lucifer said coolly. That was why he was there. He didn’t really care about the social worker visit itself. He wouldn’t even care enough to confront Pierce about it, but Trixie had been frightened, and he wouldn’t allow that to happen again.

Pierce raised an eyebrow. “Did you really just call that kid yours?”

“I don’t believe you’re hard of hearing. You know what I said, not that what I call her has anything to do with you. The child is mine, and no one is going to harm her, physically or mentally,” Lucifer said in a lethal tone. 

“You may be acting the part, Lucifer, but you’re not a parent. I doubt you’re even good at pretending to be,” Pierce said mockingly.

Lucifer walked over to him and got right into his personal space. He was inches away from his face, to the point where if he moved any closer, they would butt heads. “Keep your bloody nose out of my affairs. If you interfere with _my_ child again, I will make you wish, you were in Hell.”

Pierce said nothing in response.

Lucifer looked at him coldly for another moment before walking towards the door. He slammed it closed behind him and headed back towards the exit. Before he could leave, he ran into Miss Lopez. He noticed her just before he reached the door. 

“Lucifer, hey,” Ella said before hugging him.

Lucifer hugged her back lightly for a moment and then pulled away. “Hello, Miss Lopez.”

“It’s been so long. What are you doing here? Are you consulting again?” Ella asked hopefully.

“No. Those days ended with… the detective,” Lucifer said sadly. It still pained him to think about Chloe and her loss. He doubted it would ever stop hurting. “I came to settle something with Pierce.”

“Wow, you sound pissed,” Ella said.

“Yes, well, the bastard had no right! I don’t know where he gets off!” Lucifer growled.

Ella felt uneasy. There was only one thing she could think of that would make Lucifer so angry with Pierce. Hiding the fact that Chloe and Dan were murdered. “Oh, Lucifer, you shouldn’t be so mad at Pierce. And please don’t be mad at me either. I knew, but I was trying to protect you, and I think Pierce was too.”

“What?” Lucifer asked.

Ella didn’t hear him as she continued to ramble on. “I think he just realized how raw everyone was feeling at the time. They’d just died. No one could take anymore. You couldn’t take anymore.”

Lucifer narrowed his eyes at the young woman. He didn’t know what she was talking about, but he knew it had to do with Chloe’s death. That was enough to make him demand answers. “Miss Lopez, tell me what you are referring to right now.”

Ella looked like a deer caught in the headlights. She realized now that Lucifer hadn’t known. Whatever he was angry with Pierce over, it had nothing to do with the plane crash. “Oh crap. You didn’t know.”

“Answer me, Miss Lopez,” Lucifer demanded in a dangerously low tone.

Ella sighed. “Not long after Chloe and Dan died, I found a report on Pierce’s desk. It stated that the plane was tampered with and rigged to explode.”

“You’re telling me it wasn’t an accident? You’re telling me she was murdered?” Lucifer asked in a lethal tone. If that was true, he was going to destroy someone. He would rip through everything that he had to to find out who did it and make them suffer. He would torture them worse than any soul had ever been tortured. 

Ella nodded.

“Who else knows about this?” Lucifer asked. His hands were shaking. He needed to get out of there and away from anyone he didn’t wish to harm very soon. 

“I told Maze. She told me not to tell you. She was worried about how you would handle it.”

Lucifer felt his anger intensify. Maze knew as well. She’d known the whole time and hadn’t said a word to him about it. “Thank you, Miss Lopez.”

Ella watched as her friend began to leave. “Lucifer.”

Lucifer ignored her and walked out of the station. His eyes shined bright red as he walked outside.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

“Enough is enough,” Chloe said as she stood in the living room with God and Raziel. She’d had enough. She couldn’t do this anymore. She couldn’t keep doing nothing while Lucifer and her daughter grieved. 

“Detective…”

“No. It has been nearly six months, half a year. I can’t keep living like this,” Chloe said firmly.

“We’ve discussed this. If I send you home, you will die,” God reminded her. 

“And if I stay here, I’m dead to the world anyway. My daughter’s growing up without me. She and Lucifer are in incredible pain, and that is pain that won’t go away. How long am I supposed to inflict that on them? Years. No, I won’t do that,” Chloe said firmly.

“It won’t come to that. We know Cain is involved now. We just need him to lead us to the mastermind,” Raziel told her. 

“We’ve known Cain was involved for almost two months. Nothing has changed since then, and nothing will until something changes. Me making a reappearance would change things. It will make one of them make a mistake,” Chloe said.

“If you go back and are killed, my son’s pain would be worse than it is now. I can’t allow that,” God said firmly. He understood where she was coming from, but he was a parent, just as she was. Protecting his son from further pain was his main priority.

“I’m not suggesting that. I don’t want that either. I have no plans of revealing myself to Lucifer until the situation is resolved. Revealing me to Cain, however, might be what makes him make a mistake,” Chloe said.

“You’re thinking that if he knows you’ve returned, he might lead us to his employer,” God realized.

“Yes. It wouldn’t be the first time I’ve tricked a suspect this way,” Chloe said.

“But it could backfire. I have no way of knowing what will happen, nor of ensuring your safety. You could die,” he said gravely.

“I know that,” Chloe said. She’d thought this through. She knew the risks, and she was willing to accept them. “That’s why I won’t let Lucifer find out. If I die, no one has to know that I was still alive. Lucifer and Trixie can continue to heal the way they are.

“What about you?” Raziel asked.

“I’m not afraid to die. Why should I be when I already know where I’ll end up? And I know now that my daughter will be taken care of in my absence. I can deal with dying. I cannot deal with my family being in pain when I might have the power to stop it,” Chloe said.

“Give it more time. I would prefer to end this without ever putting your life at risk,” God said.

“No. My daughter’s birthday is in a month. I’m either going to be there or I’m going to be dead,” Chloe said firmly. She didn’t care if she was currently under the leadership of God. She wasn’t going to let this continue. She appreciated what he’d done, but she needed to fight now too.

God sighed. “Very well. We will go with your plan. If the worse should happen, Samael will never be told. He spoke the last part while looking directly at his son.

Raziel nodded that he understood. 

“There’s one more thing I need from you,” Chloe told God. “Man up and make it right.”

Raziel barely suppressed a laugh. He liked this human so much. No one had ever had the nerve to tell his father to ‘man up’.

God smirked. He too liked Chloe Decker. Aside from after the initial shock of finding out his identity, she never had an issue with speaking her mind to him. He found he liked that. “As you wish.

Chloe nodded and started mentally preparing herself for whatever was to come next. If she had it her way, she would be reunited with Lucifer and Trixie within a few weeks at the most. If not, then at least they could fully move on. 


	18. Chapter 18

Chloe sat by Dan’s grave. The cemetery was the first place she insisted on going after returning to Earth. She needed to say goodbye to the father of her child the best way she could. “I’m sorry, Dan. This didn’t have to happen. You died because the bastard wanted to kill me. You were collateral damage, and that wasn’t fair.” She felt the guilt seep throughout her body. She knew deep down that it wasn’t her fault, but she couldn’t stop thinking about the fact that he died because of a plot to take her life. And he wasn’t the only one. So many others were killed too, even children. She would carry all of that with her for as long as she lived, maybe even longer.

“Trixie will be okay. She’ll never stop missing you, but no matter what happens to me, she’ll be taken care of,” Chloe promised him. She knew he couldn’t hear her, but this was the only thing she could do to say goodbye. 

“Chloe, we shouldn’t be here,” Raziel said from behind her. His father had of course made sure Chloe was not sent back to Earth alone. He was there to protect her as best he could. He only hoped it was enough. “Being so in the open like this is dangerous.”

“He was the father of my child, and someone I once loved very much. I need to pay my respects. This is the closest I will get to being able to say goodbye. I’ll never see him again, not even when I die. We both know he isn’t in Heaven,” Chloe said. She wasn’t’ an idiot. She’d figured out on her own that Dan hadn’t gone to Heaven when he died. What he did with Malcolm Graham, both before and after the other man had been shot, was surely something God would judge him for, even though he was extremely remorseful for it.

“You knew he was in Hell?” Raziel asked surprised.

“Not for certain until you just said that, but I was pretty sure. You know it isn’t right, don’t you? Dan made mistakes, but he doesn’t deserve to be condemned forever for it,” Chloe said. She had half a mind to have Raziel take her back to Heaven, so she could rant to God on the matter, but she doubted it would do any good, which was partially why she never tried to get confirmation before now. 

“It wasn’t our call, Chloe. When he finally caved on the whole free will thing, Dad decided that humans should have complete control over their fate, even where they go when they die,” Raziel told her.

Chloe turned and gave him a skeptical look. “You’re saying people choose Heaven or Hell? What human would ever choose Hell.”

“No, it’s not quite that simple. It’s not a conscious choice. Humans decide whether or not they think they deserve to be punished. They decide whether or not they think they belong in Hell. If they do, that’s where they end up. There are exceptions. There are those who take too much guilt on themselves for petty things and those who commit huge atrocities and feel nothing. We step in in those cases,” Raziel explained.

“Raziel, that it probably the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard. People are punished because they’re repentant. They’re punished because they realize they’ve done wrong. Shouldn’t things like that be forgiven, at least eventually?” Chloe asked. She’d be the first to admit, she hadn’t forgiven Dan right away for what he did, and it she could even admit that she had never looked at him the same way again, but she still realized that deep down, he was a good person. While he deserved to live with the consequences, he didn’t deserve to be condemned forever. 

“If that person thinks they do. You’re probably not going to like what I’m about to say, but in many cases like the one you described, the person is able to move past the guilt. They make up for what they did, and eventually believe that they’ve earned the right to go to Heaven,” he said.

“So, you’re saying that if Dan had lived longer, his fate could’ve changed,” Chloe surmised. Raziel was right. She didn’t like it. Dan’s life was ended because someone was trying to kill her. That meant his chance of going to Heaven was too.

Raziel nodded. “It’s not your fault.”

“Sometimes that doesn’t matter, Raziel,” Chloe said before standing up. “Let’s go. I want this over with as soon as possible,” she said before walking past him. 

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Maze walked into the apartment late at night. She’d just gotten back from another bounty. Things with Cain were annoyingly quiet, and she’d needed some action. She was a little hesitant due to a possible risk Cain posed to Trixie, but he hadn’t tried anything in six months to hurt her, leading her and Amenadiel to believe he wasn’t going to do anything, at least not so soon after murdering Decker and Espinoza. Besides, it would be suspicious if she stopped taking bounty jobs. 

When she got inside, Maze noticed Lucifer seated on the couch. His eyes were directed away from her, towards a photo of Decker and Trixie on the end table. “Hey. Kid’s asleep, I take it.”

“Hmm. It is almost midnight,” Lucifer stated.

“Are you alright?” Maze asked. Something seemed off. His voice was mostly even, but had a slightly steel tone to it and he still hadn’t looked at her.

“Marvelous, Mazikeen. I should hardly be anything else after finding out that the woman I loved was murdered,” Lucifer said before finally turning to her, his eyes glowing red in the dim lighting. “And that you knew about it.”

Maze winced. She knew that look. It wasn’t just the red eyes, but the look itself. It told her she was going to answer for this. She and Lucifer could pretend that she didn’t answer to him anymore, but at the end of the day, he was the Devil and she was a demon. He expected her loyalty, and in his eyes, she hadn’t given it to him. “I was protecting you.”

Lucifer got up and was in her personal space in seconds. “Repeat that!”

Maze knew she had to choose her words carefully. Lucifer was all devil right now, and he was livid. This was one time where she did not want to piss him off any further. “Decker had just died. You’d fallen apart, but you had also found a purpose in taking care of the kid. If I’d told you Decker was murdered, you would’ve gone completely off the rails. Revenge would’ve been the only thing you cared about.”

“You thought you could hide this from me forever?” Lucifer asked in a lethal tone.

“No. I was going to tell you when I found out who did it, and could actually give you a piece of flesh to rip off, but it got complicated,” Maze said.

Lucifer narrowed his eyes and took a step closer. “You’re saying you know who killed her. Who was it?”

Maze remained silent.

“Answer me, Maze. Now,” Lucifer commanded in a low tone.

“Pierce,” Maze finally answered. She had no choice. Lucifer wasn’t going to allow her to get away without answering. He was already pissed because she hid this for so long.

“Pierce? Lieutenant Pierce?” Lucifer asked in surprise. He didn’t like Pierce, especially after what he pulled with Trixie, but he never would have guessed that he’d murdered the detective. What did he gain from that? What did she or Daniel ever do to him?

Maze could see the questions in his mind. He couldn’t understand why Pierce had done this. “He’s working with someone. We don’t know who it is, but we’re sure someone else is involved. Pierce is nothing more than a hired gun.”

“An angel. A bloody angel killed her to get to me!” Lucifer said furiously. It might seem like a leap, given that the two detectives did have many human enemies, but Pierce’s behavior made him believe it was about him, specifically trying to get Trixie taken from him. This was about him.

“Yes, we believe so.”

“Who is this ‘we’ you keep referring to?” Lucifer asked. Clearly, Maze wasn’t the only one involved with hiding this from him, and neither was Miss Lopez. There was someone else involved.

Maze sighed. “Amenadiel. We’ve been trying to find out who’s responsible.”

“I’ll find out,” Lucifer said before walked towards the door. He could deal with the fact that his demon and his brother were conspiring again later. He needed to make those who killed the woman he loved pay.

“Lucifer, don’t,” Maze said before grabbing his arm.

“Let. Go,” Lucifer ordered.

Maze did so. “Pierce isn’t going to tell you anything if you confront him, and you can’t kill him.”

“Oh, watch me. I am sending that bastard straight to Hell! After I make him wish he’d never laid eyes on me or Chloe,” Lucifer said furiously. That bastard had killed the woman he loved. He’d taken the life of the most wonderful woman to ever exist. He’d robbed Trixie of both of her parents. He was going to suffer for that.

“No, you’re not! You’re not going to kill him because he can’t be killed,” Maze told him.

“What are you talking about? Are you saying Pierce isn’t human? He’s not an angel or a demon. I would know if he were,” Lucifer said.

“No, he’s human. He’s just one that can’t die. He was cursed by your father,” she said.

Realization hit Lucifer after a moment. To his knowledge, only one human had ever been cursed with immortality by his father. “Cain? Pierce is Cain?”

Maze nodded. 

“Fine. I can’t kill him, but I can make him wish I could. In fact, I think I prefer that. I might kill him too soon otherwise,” Lucifer said before going for the door again. 

“Lucifer, don’t be stupid!” Maze yelled. “I know you want Pierce to pay, but going after him right now isn’t the right move.”

“He murdered her!” Lucifer yelled as he turned back to her. 

“Yeah, and he’ll suffer for it! I will gladly help you make sure of that, but he’s not the main concern. There is someone else out there that planned this whole thing. Do you really think alerting them by going after Pierce is the best thing? What if whoever it is comes after Trixie after realizing you’re on to them?” Maze asked.

Lucifer didn’t get a chance to reply, as he was interrupted by a new voice.

“Lucifer, Maze?”

They both turned to see Trixie by the kitchen. “Child, you should be asleep,” Lucifer said He’d turned his eyes back to normal as soon as he realized the child was in the room. 

“You guys woke me up. Are you leaving, Lucifer?” Trixie asked fearfully. He was by the door like he was leaving, and he’d been fighting with Maze. Was he gonna leave because he was angry with Maze? She didn’t want him to leave. He promised her he would never leave her. 

“No, kid. He’s not going anywhere. Right, Lucifer. Not tonight,” Maze said, whispering the last part quietly so that Trixie couldn’t hear.

“I’m not going anyplace, Child, and even if I were, it wouldn’t be for long,” Lucifer promised. He knew that’s what she feared, and he needed to make sure she knew it wouldn’t happen. He wouldn’t leave now even to deal with Pierce, not when Trixie was concerned he wouldn’t come back. He would have to wait.

Trixie relaxed quite a bit, but she still didn’t like that they were fighting. “Well, is everything okay.”

“Yes, it’s fine. Come on, back to bed with you,” Lucifer said before walking over and steering her back down the hall to her bedroom.

“Are you mad at Maze?” Trixie asked as she entered her room.

“Yes, but it’s nothing for you to worry about. I am sorry we woke you,” Lucifer said. He wouldn’t lie. He was angry with Maze for keeping him in the dark, and he was certainly pissed that Chloe’s killer was out there enjoying life when she couldn’t. Pierce and his employer would pay for this soon. He would see to it.

“It’s okay, but please don’t stay mad at her. I’m sure Maze didn’t mean whatever she did to upset you,” Trixie said before getting back into bed.

Lucifer pulled the covers over her. “We won’t be fighting anymore tonight. Goodnight.”

“Night, Lucifer.”

Lucifer made sure she was settled before heading out of the room. 


	19. Chapter 19

Lucifer sat in Linda’s office the next day. His anger hadn’t quelled any since the night before. If anything, he became even more angry as time went on. The woman he loved was murdered, and those he trusted had attempted to hide that from him. He wanted to cause pain, a lot of it.

“Lucifer, are you okay? You look angry,” Linda said. She’d seen this look on his face many times. It was how he usually looked just before his eyes would switch to red. They were still brown at the moment, but they looked like they could change at any moment. 

“No, Doctor, anger is much too mild a term. I want nothing more than to torture and murder people,” Lucifer said coldly.

“What happened?” Linda asked.

“Do you remember several months ago telling me that terrible things happen for no reason? You were insinuating that Chloe’s death was one of those things. You were wrong,” Lucifer said.

“Is this about your father again?” Linda asked.

Lucifer laughed bitterly. “No. Ironically, I don’t think he had anything to do with it. Well, actually, he did. Be vilifying me for centuries, my siblings apparently feel that they can do whatever they want to me, and they have his blessing, even in killing innocent people!”

“Are you saying you think Chloe was murdered?” Linda asked. That would certainly explain the furious anger. She hoped Lucifer was wrong though. If Chloe was murdered, she could only imagine the lengths Lucifer would go to avenge her death, and Linda wasn’t sure he would come back from that.

“No, I know she was murdered. There’s proof. Maze and Amenadiel have been hiding the fact from me for months!” Lucifer said with a raised voice.

Linda winced. There went the hope that Lucifer was jumping to conclusions. She could only guess that Maze and Amenadiel had admitted this. She could understand why they’d hide it. They knew how much Lucifer would lose it when he found out. However, she wasn’t sure if they made the situation better or worse by keeping it a secret. “You mentioned your siblings. You think angels killed them? I thought angels couldn’t kill humans.”

“Yes, but just like my brother, Uriel, the one responsible used loopholes. It was a human that technically carried out the act,” Lucifer said.

It was clear to Linda by the way Lucifer spoke that he knew at least some facts. He wasn’t jumping to any conclusion in regards to this situation. “I’m sorry, Lucifer. I can only imagine what this is doing to you.” He had finally begun to heal. He was moving on with his life. He would never stop hurting from losing Chloe, but he was learning to live without her. Then this happened.

“No matter. They will suffer for this,” Lucifer vowed. Both Pierce, or Cain, and whatever sibling he was working for would pay a very steep price for what they’d done to Chloe.

“I know you want justice, Lucifer, but you really need to think before you do anything. Don’t do something you might regret,” Linda cautioned.

“If I weren’t thinking, the human responsible would already be at my mercy, or lack thereof,” Lucifer said bluntly. He decided not to give her the name of the human murderer. Lina would be obligated to report it, and even if it were possible for Cain to be imprisoned, Lucifer didn’t want that. He intended to punish the bastard personally. “I want nothing more than to go after the bastard, but as Maze has brought to my attention, I don’t know which of my siblings are responsible, and if I act too soon and draw their attention, I may place Trixie at risk.”

“Why do you think this angel went after Chloe?” Linda asked.

“Clearly it was to come after me. They either wanted me in Hell or they just wanted me to suffer. I’m not certain of which at the moment,” Lucifer said.

“What if it was to send you back to Hell? Do you intend to do that?” Linda asked. She could see Lucifer doing it, if for no other reason than to ensure Trixie’s safety. Trixie was holding him on Earth now. She was the most important person in his life.

“I can’t say that I didn’t consider it. I don’t want to risk Trixie being hurt the way Chloe was, but I can’t be positive she’d be safe without me here. For all I know, they’d hurt her anyway. I can’t allow that. It would also hurt her to lose another person in her life. Plus, I am selfish. That child means everything to me. I can’t leave her. No, I will instead make Chloe’s murderers suffer, and while I’m at it, ensure the safety of my child,” Lucifer said.

Linda wasn’t as surprised as most would be when Lucifer referred to Chloe’s child as his. He’d been raising that child since her mother’s death. It was natural that he’d come to love her over the past six months and thought of the girl as his. It did surprise her a bit, pleasantly so, that Lucifer wasn’t thinking as rashly as he would’ve six months ago. Being a father made him more able to think things through. He knew he had to in order to take care of the child in his car. “Lucifer, you’re doing well. I know you’re angry, but you’ve realized that you can’t just go after these people without any thought for anything else.”

“Oh, I will still go after them. They murdered the woman I love. They left an eight-year-old child an orphan. They caused her pain that will never go away. And I’m going to have to explain that to her one day. I’m going to have to tell Trixie that her parents were murdered because someone in my family thought it was acceptable to use them to hurt me,” Lucifer said. He didn’t know how he was going to do that. How did he tell Trixie that her mother and father died because of him?

“Lucifer, it’s not your fault. I know that’s hard for you to see, given that you were the one they wanted to hurt, but you are not responsible for someone else’s actions,” Linda said.

“Ask any other human, and they will tell you otherwise. It doesn’t matter anyway. All that matters is that I punish the guilty parties for what they’ve done. I will, no matter what my father may have to say about it,” Lucifer said firmly. He would make them both pay. The angel would pay with his or her life. Lucifer would find a way to end the worthless creature. As for Cain, while Lucifer couldn’t technically kill him, he would cause him unimaginable torture, and when he was finally done with him, he’d personally drag him to Hell, even if he had to do so with his soul still attached to his body.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Maze was sitting outside Cain’s apartment. She’d decided to keep a good eye on him, both to try to catch him at something, and to make sure Lucifer didn’t come after him just yet. They might never find Cain’s employer if Lucifer acted prematurely.

Maze watched as Cain walked out and got on his motorcycle. She watched him start it up and take off. She was about to follow when she noticed a car pull up into his parking space just after he left.

Maze watched with curiosity as the person got out. She saw Lucifer’s brother get out of the passenger side of the car. “What the hell?”

Maze didn’t have much time to react as she saw a blonde woman get out of the driver’s side. She could only see the back of the woman’s head, but it looked just like…

The demon’s thoughts trailed off as the woman turned to the side, giving Maze just a glance of her face before walking towards the building, with the angel quickly following her.

A glance was all Maze needed. She got a good enough look that she saw exactly who the woman was, causing her to gasp. “Damn it! Future reference, Maze. If you don’t see a body, they’re not dead!” she yelled at herself before bolting from the car and rushing to catch up to her not so dead roommate. 


	20. Chapter 20

Chloe walked into Pierce’s apartment with Raziel, and closed and locked the door behind them. “I can’t even count the number of regulations, not to mention laws, I just broke.” She was doing what she had to to end this, but as a cop, it still felt kind of wrong to break into a suspect’s apartment. The rules she’d learned when she became a cop were ingrained into her. 

Raziel smiled. “You have permission from the Creator of the Universe. I’m pretty sure that covers you.”

Chloe chuckled. “I don’t think the LAPD would take that for an excuse.”

“Well, technically, you’re dead, so doesn’t that mean you’re not a police detective at the moment,” Raziel said.

“Sometimes you remind me so much of your brother, Raziel,” Chloe said. Lucifer certainly enjoyed using loopholes. She could see him having taught his younger brother the same skill. 

Just then, there was a knock at the door, or more like a pounding, followed by whoever it was yanking on the doorknob.

Chloe and Raziel both looked at each other with concern, fearing they were about to be caught.

“Come. We need to get out of here,” Raziel said before moving to pick her up and fly away.

Chloe was about to comply when she heard the voice on the other side of the door.

“Decker, open up! I saw you from the parking lot.”

“Maze,” Chloe said before going to open the door. Her demon friend clearly already knew she was there, so there was point in trying to hide it.

Maze was still shocked when Chloe opened the door and she actually got a look at her up close. She knew she’d seen her in the parking lot, but it was much more real now that they were inches apart. Without even thinking about it, Maze hugged her roommate.

Chloe was surprised when Maze hugged her, as she’d never done so before, but she quickly recovered and hugged her back.

Maze pulled away as soon as she realized what she was doing. “You will never mention this to anyone.”

Chloe smiled. “Don’t worry, Maze. I promise to never tell anyone that Hell’s top demon has a heart.”

Maze walked further inside and shut the door. “Well, its been a while, Decker. There are so many question to ask that I don’t even know where to start. How have you been? Why haven’t you called? Oh, yeah, and how the hell are you not dead?!”

“Well, I can promise you Hell had nothing to do with it. Let’s just say that God wasn’t all that interested in seeing me dead,” Chloe said.

Maze glared at the angel in the room. “You son of a bitch! You knew she was alive when you met with Amenadiel.”

“I had orders, and they didn’t involve telling a demon anything,” Raziel said coldly. He couldn’t help it. Being around a demon went against everything he was.

“Guys, stop. I know you two are literally polar opposites, but you both have the same goal. You want to stop Cain and whoever he’s working for,” Chloe said.

“Girl, you seem to know a whole lot,” Maze mused. She supposed it made sense that Chloe knew a lot more than before. She did show up with an angel, and she was apparently saved by them. Still, it was strange to see how much she knew, given that the last time they met, she was completely clueless.

“Yeah, well, I’ve spent a lot of time with God, and he’s pretty talkative,” Chloe said.

“Ugh, my sympathies, Decker,” Maze said with disgust. If it were here, she would’ve rather been left to die. 

“He’s not as bad as you’d think. Some of the things he’s done are pretty stupid, but I suppose not even God’s perfect,” Chloe said.

“Please tell me you’ve said that to his face. Actually don’t because I’ll just be pissed I missed it,” Maze said.

Raziel began to get uncomfortable. He was not used to hearing such negative things about his father. Everyone he was around usually worshipped his father. Chloe didn’t, but she was at least respectful about her opinions for the most part. The demon just seemed to hate his father. Not that he’d expect different from her kind. “We don’t know how much time we have before Cain returns. We should do what we came to do.”

“He’s right. Maze, I’ll answer all your questions later,” Chloe promised before talking a few things from her bag. The first was a bible, which she brought into the living room and placed on the table.

“A bible? What the hell are you going to do with that?” Maze asked. 

“Make my presence known to the bastard,” she said. She turned the pages until she came a passage regarding Cain and Able. She then took one of the other objects she had, her badge, which had been damaged from the plane crash, but not destroyed. She put it on top of the open bible.

“You’re screwing with the SOB,” Maze realized with a smirk. “You’ve got some torture in you.”

“I can’t say it won’t give me pleasure. I haven’t seen my daughter in six months because of this murdering son of bitch. My ex-husband is dead. My family is grieving,” Chloe said with severe anger in her voice.

“Espinoza is dead then?” Maze asked. She couldn’t be sure. She thought Chloe was dead too, but here she was.

“Yeah,” she said quietly. “And I’m going to make sure Cain pays for that. He didn’t have to involve Dan. His death was completely pointless.”

“If only we could kill the bastard,” Maze said.

“No. I don’t want Cain dead. That’s what he wants, and if I have it my way, he’ll never get it,” Chloe said firmly.

Maze nodded. She had to admit, she liked this side of Chloe. The woman was pissed, and she wanted revenge. She wanted him to suffer for what he’d done to her family. “Are you finished here.”

“Not quite,” Chloe said before holding up a small camera.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

A couple of hours later, Chloe was at her motel room with Raziel and Maze. She and Maze were sitting on her bed. She’d explained to Maze everything that had happened since the plane crash.

“Damn. You’ve had an exciting six months,” Maze said.

“No, actually, after the first few days, it was very unexciting. I could barely do anything but sit there and wait for someone to find answers. The best I could do was try to find suspects. That and think about everyone suffering from my supposed death,” Chloe said.

“Yeah, and believe me, they did suffer. They still are.”

“Maze, you can’t tell Lucifer that I’m alive,” Chloe said.

“Wow, I’m so shocked that you’d say that,” Maze said sarcastically. She already figured that was coming. If Chloe wanted Lucifer to know, she’d have told him the moment she came back from Heaven.

“There’s still a lot of danger, and if I die, it’ll be so much worse for him and Trixie,” Chloe said.

“Oh, you’re not dying, Decker. There’s no way I’m letting that happen after all of this crap,” Maze said firmly. 

“Thanks, but I can’t take the risk. If I die, Lucifer can continue as he is. He’ll still be in pain, but it won’t be as bad as if he loses me all over again. Besides, I promised God I wouldn’t tell him. Something tells me breaking a vow to the most powerful being in the universe isn’t the best idea,” Chloe joked. “So, if I die, Lucifer never finds out.”

Maze grimaced, but nodded her head. Keeping another secret from Lucifer seemed suicidal, especially one like this, but Decker was right. If he lost her again, he wouldn’t survive it. He only survived this time because of Trixie. “Deal. Although, Lucifer knows about Cain. He thinks Cain murdered you.”

“If Sam knows, how does Cain still have his legs and arms still intact?” Raziel asked. He knew his brother well. There was no way he could know the woman he loved was murdered without exacting punishment.

“First of all, his name is Lucifer. Second, the kid. I told him there was a chance he could draw Cain’s employer’s attention to Trixie. It seems to be working for the moment,” Maze said.

Chloe smiled. Lucifer was restraining himself for her daughter. She never thought Lucifer would ever let anything stop him from getting what he wanted, but it seemed Trixie had wormed her way into his heart, to the point where he was putting her needs above revenge. 

“Oh, speaking of your kid…” Maze started before pulling out her wallet. “I don’t know why I have this. The little human must have put it in here when I wasn’t looking.”

Chloe watched as Maze took out a photo and held it out for her. “Yeah, I’m sure _Trixie_ put it in there,” she said before taking the photo. She saw her daughter in what looked like some kind of princess costume. She was leaned into Lucifer’s side, who had his arm around her shoulder. It was amazing given that before six months ago, he would shy away from her touch. 

“That was taken at some stupid school play. That was two hours of my life wasted,” Maze grumbled. She wouldn’t admit it, but while she didn’t enjoy the performance itself, she didn’t mind being there for the kid.

Chloe smiled. “You’re immortal. You can make up two hours. God, she looks so beautiful. I wonder how much I’ve missed.”

“She’s been taken care of. Lucifer has made sure she has everything she needs. He loves her, and no longer has any problem admitting it. Whatever happens, Chloe, he can’t lose her,” Maze said seriously.

“He’s not going to,” Chloe said in the strongest voice she could use. She didn’t know what was going to happen between her and Lucifer. There were so many conversations that the two of them had to have before she could even think about it. That was if she survived this crap. But no matter what, Lucifer had earned his spot in Trixie’s life. She would not take that away from him.

Raziel, meanwhile, was looking at the machine Chloe had set up to watch Cain’s apartment. He watched as the man walked into his apartment. “Cain has returned home.”

Chloe and Maze went over to the laptop, which was seated on the table a few feet away. They watched as Cain noticed the bible. He walked over and picked up the badge. The color in his face drained as soon as he saw it.

Chloe smirked. “The tables have turned, you bastard.”

They all watched as Cain picked up his phone and made a call. There was no sound, so they couldn’t hear, but they all assumed he was calling his partner.

“Have him meet you at the apartment,” Chloe said, even though she knew he couldn’t hear her. 

“One of us should be there to follow him,” Maze said.

Chloe shook her head. “Cain may be a murderer, but he’s also a trained cop. If he knows we’re close, he will make sure no one is following him. We can’t risk it.”

The three of them sat down and waited for about an hour. They were almost ready to give up for a while before they saw Pierce go to the door. Seconds later, a man walked in looking none too pleased.

“Son of bitch!” both Maze and Raziel exclaimed at the same time, both recognizing the man.

“Should I be more concerned that the two of you are speaking in unison or that an angel is cursing at all?” Chloe asked. 

“I never would’ve guessed this,” Raziel said in shock.

“Yeah, me either, since he should be dead. Then again, I’m sitting next to a dead person, so why not?” Maze asked.

“Who is he?” Chloe asked.

“My brother, Uriel,” Raziel finally said.


	21. Chapter 21

Chloe stared at the computer screen. She’d heard of Lucifer’s brother, Uriel. God had told her about his dead son during one of their many conversations. Uriel had threatened her life in exchange for Lucifer turning their mother over. It had happened around the time of her car accident. Lucifer had had to kill his brother to in order to save them both. It had nearly destroyed him. “I thought Uriel was dead.

“The bastard’s supposed to be dead! Lucifer stabbed him over a year ago. We buried his damn body! How the hell is he still alive?” Maze asked, her gaze on the angel in the room.

“Don’t look at me. I have no idea how his happened. He was killed with Azrael’s blade. He should’ve been obliterated. 

“Yeah, what about your father?” Maze asked. She didn’t trust these people. Someone had to know something.

“He didn’t know. He grieved for Uriel,” Raziel said. 

“Well, he has to be told now, and quick. We need to act before Uriel leaves Cain’s,” Chloe said.

“Forget the old man. We go after these two bastards now,” Maze said. As far as she was concerned, they needed to put a stop to this now. This was their chance to get them both,” Maze said.

“No, my father needs to be informed. He will decide how he wants to proceed,” Raziel said.

“I don’t give a damn what he wants!” Maze yelled.

“Hey, stop. Look, having God on our side is our best bet, Maze. He does have to know about Uriel. Raziel, go quickly,” Chloe said.

Raziel nodded and flew away.

“This is not happening. This dick could leave at any moment, and we might never get him again,” Maze said.

Chloe hesitated. Maze wasn’t wrong. They had no idea how long Uriel would stay where he was. If he left, there was no way to find him, at least she didn’t think there was. It was likely that Uriel was hiding himself from God, as well as Cain. But they would be taking a huge chance going after Uriel and Cain by themselves. “I think it’s too dangerous, Maze.”

Maze smirked. “Danger is my thing, Decker. I’m not waiting on Lucifer’s dick father to handle things. We know where they both are now. Who knows when we’ll get this opportunity again? You wanna wait another six months?”

“No. Alright, let’s go,” Chloe said.

“Whoa. No, I’m going. You wait here,” Maze said. 

“There’s no way that’s going to happen. These people took everything from me and my family. My daughter has spent the last six months thinking I was dead, so has Lucifer. I’ve had to sit back and think of nothing else but how it must be killing them. The worst part was that there was nothing I could do to help them. I couldn’t let them know it would be okay. That’s not even getting into what happened to Dan,” Chloe said. She wasn’t staying out of this one. If Maze was going, so was she.

“Yeah, and their pain will be for real if you get yourself killed. I told you I wasn’t letting you die, Decker,” Maze said. 

“Raziel should be along soon with God. I’m facing these bastards, Maze. After everything they took from me, I have a right to. So, I either go with you, or I go on my own,” Chloe said firmly.

Maze sighed. Technically, she could still stop her if she wanted, but she understood the need to be there. Those two SOBs had taken everything from Decker. She wanted to justice done herself. Maze would want the same if it was her. “Fine. Let’s go.”

Chloe followed her friend out of the motel room and down to Maze’s car. They both got in and started driving off.

Maze took out her cellphone right after she started driving and hit one of her contacts.

 _“What do you want Mazikeen?”_ Lucifer’s voice asked seconds later. He was clearly still angry with the demon. 

“Hey. Find someone to watch the little human and meet me at Cain’s,” Maze said.

Chloe’s eyes widened as she realized Maze was talking to Lucifer. She ripped the phone from her hands and hung it up. “What the hell are you doing? Which part of ‘Lucifer can’t be involved’ was hard to grasp.”

“We’re coming to the end, Decker. We now all the parties and are going to stop them. It might still be dangerous, but it’s not as much so when we didn’t have all the information,” Maze said.

“But there still is a danger. I do not want Lucifer to see me die!” Chloe exclaimed.

“You’re not dying. We won’t let that happen. Lucifer will help to ensure that. Look, as much as I don’t want to admit it, I don’t think I can stop Uriel by myself, and I sure as hell am not counting on Lucifer’s absentee, bastard father to save the day. We need Lucifer. Besides, he has as much a right to be there as you do, maybe even more so,” Maze said. She couldn’t cut him out. He deserved to be there to punish Cain and Uriel.

Chloe sighed, but said nothing else. Maze was right. Lucifer did have a right to be involved. His pain had been a hundred times worse than hers. She just hoped the result of this didn’t cause him more pain.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Raziel stood with his father in his office. He’d just explained that Uriel was the mastermind behind trying to murder Chloe.

“Uriel. You’re certain?” God asked. This was one possibility he didn’t even consider. Uriel certainly would’ve been the top suspect had he been thought alive, but God thought his son was dead, destroyed by his daughter’s blade.

“Yes. Chloe was able to set up some sort of camera in Cain’s home, and we were able to watch from our location. Uriel walked into Cain’s home. I don’t understand how it’s possible. He was stabbed by Azrael’s blade,” Raziel said.

God sighed. “I often wondered if the blade would work the same when not constructed as the Flaming Sword. Would it still be able to destroy every soul it stabbed? I knew it would humans, but I wasn’t positive it would work the same on higher beings, like celestials. It wasn’t a theory I wanted tested. When Uriel dies, and I couldn’t sense his essence anywhere, I assumed it worked the way it was designed.”

“How could he have hidden himself like that? And how did he even know he needed to? Did he anticipate that Samael would stab him?” Raziel asked. He just didn’t understand how his brother could’ve pulled this off. His father said that the blade did kill him. It just didn’t destroy him. So, how had he done it?

“No. He had help,” God said in a tight voice before calling out in an almighty tone. “Azrael, appear before me immediately!”

Raziel’s eyes widened. “Dad, you can’t think that she’d…”

God abruptly put his hand up to stop his son’s question.

Azrael appeared in front of her father seconds later. “Dad?”

God placed his hands on his hips and stared his daughter down hard. “Is there anything you want to tell me, Azrael?”

Azrael gulped as he father fixed her with an intense look. She hadn’t seen that look since she was a child, but she was certain that the meaning hadn’t changed. It was a look that said, ‘I know what you did, so come clean or make it worse’. Azrael was sure she knew exactly what had made him give her that look as well. “It was Uriel, wasn’t it? He attacked Chloe Decker?”

Raziel groaned. “Rae-Rae, what did you do?”

Azrael looked down guiltily.

“Well? You’d best answer,” God said icily. 

“I didn’t think he did it. I didn’t want to think he did it anyway. I didn’t want to think that I was responsible for helping him,” Azrael said.

“Explain yourself!” God yelled. He was tired of the run-around his daughter was giving him. He wanted an explanation now.

Azrael flinched slightly. “I…I felt Uriel die. My blade killed him, but it hadn’t destroyed him. I could help him. I got to him and managed to back into his body. Lucifer was distraught and his demon was unconscious. It made it easy to put another body in its place and glamour it while I saved Uriel.”

“And you decided not to tell me that my son wasn’t dead?” God asked angrily. He’d grieved for Uriel. No matter what any of his children did, he loved them. Losing Uriel was very painful.

“I was going to. I was taking him home, but he begged me not to. He told me he felt too guilty about what he’d tried to do to return home. He thought it was better that he stayed away. I tried to convince him he was wrong, but he wouldn’t listen,” Azrael explained.

“He manipulated you, Azrael. He was plotting his next move against Sam,” Raziel said.

“I…I didn’t think he’d…”

“Did you give him your medallion?” God asked. Azrael had created an object that would keep her from being detected by higher beings. There were those out there that would love to get their hands on the Angel of Death, and her blade, if they could.

Azrael nodded. “He was scared that someone would find him. He said he wanted to be left alone for a while.”

“Hmm. So, when I asked you if you’d loaned out your medallion, you lied to me?” God asked displeased. He never really thought that medallion could be used to hide from him. He had no reason to, as Azrael had never used it to hide from him, but he asked her just in case. It was the only object he knew of that could shield a person in such a way.

“Y…you asked if I’d lost it, not if I’d given it to someone else,” Azrael said. As soon as the words left her lips, she knew it was the wrong thing to say.

“Do you really think playing with my words is a good idea right now?!” God shouted.

“No, sir,” she said meekly.

“You should’ve told me when you became aware that someone was clouding my vision! Actually, you should’ve when your brought Uriel back, but telling me when things started going wrong would’ve at least made it marginally better! Can you even begin to imagine the damage you’ve caused?!” he asked angrily.

“I didn’t think he’d do this. I’m sorry, Dad. I made a mistake,” Azrael said, almost in tears. 

“A very costly mistake. Hundreds of lives, Azrael. Hundreds! I don’t have time for this. I have to fix this before someone else ends up dead! You’re not to leave this room until I return! I that clear?” God asked sternly.

“Yes, sir. Are you going to send me away?” Azrael asked with fear in her voice. 

“Bloody hell,” God said before pinching the bridge of his nose. He’d sent one child away millennia ago in an attempt to help him, and it was apparently never going to stop haunting him. “No, but there will be severe consequences.”

She nodded.

“Raziel,” God said before motioning for his son to follow him out of the room. 


	22. Chapter 22

Pierce had no doubt been freaked out the second he got home and found Decker’s badge laying, no doubt purposely, on a bible opened to his story. He’d called Uriel right away, who had been less than pleased at being summoned. When the angel arrived, he told him everything.

“Come yourself down, Cain. You act as if this is the end of the world. It’s a good thing,” Uriel said with a smirk. 

“A good thing? Decker clearly knows everything. She left a bible open to my story and her badge is laying on top of it!” Pierce exclaimed.

“Yes, she’s clearly toying with you. I’d be impressed if she weren’t so stupid. The fact that she’s coming out of hiding will give us the chance to finish her off,” Uriel said.

“She knows everything. She’s not working alone,” Pierce said.

“I wouldn’t say she knows everything. I doubt she knows of me. But I agree, she is working with someone. Since you say Lucifer doesn’t know she’s alive, it must by the demon. Amenadiel’s possible as well, but it’s unlikely without his powers. Either that, or you’re wrong, and Lucifer does know,” Uriel said.

“No, he couldn’t,” Pierce said.

“Then it’s the demon, and it doesn’t matter. Mazikeen is no match for me. We can handle her and the human,” Uriel said.

“This is getting a bit out of hand, don’t you think?” Pierce asked. He didn’t like this. It was completely out of his control, and he hated that. He was always in control, both as a cop and a crime boss.

Uriel rolled his eyes. “Relax, Cain. You’d think a career criminal would be more laid back. This situation helps us. We will find Chloe Decker soon.”

“Well, we’ll give you that one,” a new voice said.

Both men turned to see Chloe and Maze in the doorway. Chloe had her gun drawn on them and Maze had both her knives out, ready to fight. 

“Wow. I’ll give you one thing. I didn’t expect this, but I do appreciate you making it easier for me,” Uriel said with an evil smirk. 

“Easy, huh? We’ll see,” Maze said with a smirk of her own. 

“Oh, Mazikeen, didn’t I prove you’re no match for me last time?” Uriel asked.

Maze smirked. “It didn’t work out so well for you either.”

“Yeah, well, Lucifer’s not here, and even if he was, he doesn’t have our sister’s blade. I think I will have no problem taking the both of you within minutes. First though, I am curious. How did you save her?” Uriel asked. He wouldn’t think a demon would be able to do that. She had strength, but she had no ability to pull Chloe Decker off the plane before it crashed, or to heal her if it crashed while she was on board.

Maze laughed and turned to Chloe. “Is he kidding? He actually thinks I have that kind of power?”

“No, I don’t think he’s kidding, Maze. I think he’s just an idiot,” Chloe said.

Uriel raised an eyebrow. “I’m an idiot? You’re holding a human weapon on me. You actually think that will do anything? I’m not Lucifer. I’m not vulnerable around you.”

“Oh, this isn’t for you,” Chloe assured him before moving her gun over to Cain and pulling the trigger without further warning. The bullet hit him square in the chest.

Using the surprise to her advantage, Maze launched herself at Uriel.

Chloe walked over to Cain and waited until he woke up. She didn’t have long to wait. His eyes popped open seconds later, and he started groaning as he brought a hand to his bleeding chest. “Tell me why.”

Pierce groaned for about thirty seconds and took several breaths. “It wasn’t personal, Decker. I just want to die.”

“The hell it wasn’t personal! And I know why you tried to kill me! I want to know why you involved Dan! Or those people on the plane! They had nothing to do with any of this! You gained nothing from their deaths!” Chloe yelled angrily.

“I had to make it look like an accident. It was the best way. As for Espinoza, it would’ve been suspicious if I sent you on your own,” Pierce said before he began to sit up. 

“You piece of garbage!” Chloe yelled before hitting him with the gun.

Pierce yelled out as he hit the floor again. “At least they get to die. I’ve lived in this world for centuries, my own personal hell. I deserve to die.”

“You deserve nothing! And why are you so determined to die anyway? Are you anxious to see what Hell looks like?” Chloe asked.

Pierce slowly and painfully climbed to his feet. “I’m not going to Hell. I know how the afterlife works. Hell is for those who feel they deserve it. I have no regrets.”

“I’m sure you don’t. Anyone who would murder their own brother, and then later kill hundreds people just to try to get one killed, can’t have much of a conscience, but do you really think God doesn’t make contingency plans for psychopaths like you?” Chloe asked coldly.

Pierce couldn’t deny feeling uneasy after she said that, but he quickly brushed it off. “Even if you’re right, it doesn’t matter. I’m already in Hell. It can’t be any worse.”

Chloe stared at him in disgust. “And you’ll take out anyone if you think it’ll get you what you want? You’ve proved God was right to curse you. You’re a murderer! Worse, you’re a murderer who parades around as a cop!” 

“Able gave as good as he got,” Pierce said.

“Dan didn’t. He didn’t do anything to you! Neither did my daughter, and you ripped apart her life! You left her without both her parents for six months! You cost her her father forever! And, yeah, she has a dad now, but no one will ever be able to replace Dan. She will spend the rest of her life missing him because of you!” Chloe said before shooting him yet again in the chest and watching him drop again.

“A little violent, aren’t you?”

Chloe looked over to see Uriel coming her way. Maze was nearby on the ground. She was conscious, but barely so, and he she couldn’t seem to get up.

“You know, you may be able to slow Cain down a bit, but I think you’ll find me a bigger challenge,” Uriel said with smug look.

“Will I? That implies that you have the stones to come after me directly,” Chloe said before putting her gun away. There was no point in keeping it out. It wouldn’t hurt Uriel, and Cain wouldn’t be getting up for a while with two gun shot wounds. It wouldn’t kill him, but it did hurt him.

“Excuse me?” Uriel asked with an edge to his voice.

“I thought I was pretty clear, but I’ll be more direct. You’re a coward, Uriel. You don’t have the guts to do anything yourself. You’ve come after me twice, and both times, you had to do so indirectly. The first time, you used accidents instead of doing it yourself. This time, you used Cain, probably afraid someone would realize if you used your talent again. But you couldn’t do it yourself,” Chloe said.

“Shut up, Human,” Uriel growled.

“The same with your mother. You couldn’t go after her yourself. Instead, you tried to make Lucifer do it for you. And now, you don’t have the guts to face Lucifer,” Chloe continued.

“Oh, but you certainly have some, to speak to me like this, knowing what I am and that I could kill you in a minute,” Uriel said intimidatingly.

“I’m not afraid of dying. I know my fate if I do. And even if you do kill me, what exactly do you think you’ll accomplish? What will be different from just a few hours ago? You failed, Uriel. Whatever you were trying to accomplish, it didn’t work. You didn’t destroy Lucifer, nor send him running back to Hell. You hurt him. There’s no denying that, but he picked himself back up. He beat you without even knowing he was fighting you,” Chloe said with pride in her voice. She loved how well Lucifer pulled himself together. He’d likely wanted to die, but he survived for her daughter. She would never be able to repay him for that. Plus, she didn’t want him to destroy himself over her death. 

Uriel smirked evilly. “Let’s see if it’s the same when I take care of your brat.”

Chloe felt the overwhelming urge to attack and threaten the piece of scum that threatened her child, but she pushed it down. She refused to let Uriel get a rise out of her. Besides, he couldn’t do anything to Trixie. No matter what happened tonight, Uriel was done. Lucifer was on his way, as was God. About the only thing Chloe had to worry about now was that Uriel would kill her and Lucifer would find out the truth and grieve her all over again. “Going after Trixie would do nothing but ensure your downfall. Face it, Uriel, it was all for nothing. You caused unspeakable suffering, and it didn’t accomplish a thing. And what was it all about anyway? Lucifer didn’t do anything to you that you didn’t bring onto yourself by coming after him.”

“He killed me! For a human!” Uriel yelled.

“You brought that on yourself, and you know something? He nearly destroyed himself over it. He hated himself for what he did, even though it was only to protect the people he loved,” Chloe said. After finding out that Lucifer ‘killed’ Uriel, it wasn’t hard for her to determine what had brought him to that spiral he’d had the year earlier. “But there is a good thing to come out of this. He never has to deal with that guilt again once this is over.”

“He’s never going to find out. Once I’ve taken care of you and your brat, and of course, his demon, he’ll go back to Hell where he belongs. No one will ever know either of us were alive,” Uriel said.

“You think you can kill all of us with no one knowing something’s wrong? You’re an idiot. Give it up already. You’re done no matter what happens now. Everyone will know. Lucifer, your father, everyone. What do you think your father’s gonna do to you when he finds out all you’ve done?” Chloe asked.

“Don’t speak of my father! You know nothing about him!” Uriel yelled before grabbing her by the neck.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Lucifer parked his car next to Maze’s. He assumed she was already inside waiting. He’d called Amenadiel to sit with Trixie as soon as he got Maze’s call. He assumed she had the information he needed, and it was time to take revenge. Of course, he’d know for sure if the demon hadn’t hung up on him.

Lucifer got out of the car and made his way inside. He was a few feet away from Pierce’s door when he heard voices. He heard one person yell just before he opened the door. When he did, his jaw dropped, as he stared at two people he never thought he’d see again. The woman he loved and his brother.

Lucifer didn’t have time to really react. Uriel had his hand around Chloe’s throat. Lucifer almost wondered if he was imagining things, but he didn’t pause to contemplate it. He had to stop Uriel. He ran forward and lifted his brother off Chloe and the ground by the throat. He immediately threw him into the nearest wall like it was nothing.

Chloe watched as her partner continued to go after his brother. Lucifer grabbed him off the floor and started punching him over and over again.

Maze, meanwhile, finally recovered enough to get up, just as Pierce also began to get up. She went over and kicked him in the stomach, causing him to fall again. She then placed her foot onto his bullet wound and held him down that way.

Pierce screamed in agony.

Chloe walked over to them, and she and Maze watched Lucifer viciously assault his brother.

Lucifer slammed his brother against the wall, making sure his head hit it with great force. He then punched Uriel in the stomach over and over. His eyes were as red as they could get. He didn’t know much right now, but it was clear to him that Uriel had been involved with Pierce, and he’d seen him try to hurt Chloe. He didn’t think about how it was possible that Chloe was here, or Uriel, for that matter. If he stopped to think of that, Uriel would gain the upper hand.

In between the blows, Uriel tried to anticipate his brother’s next moves, as he usually would, but Lucifer wasn’t following any patterns. He wasn’t planning his moves. He was just reacting out of pure rage. That wasn’t something Uriel could anticipate. 

“Well, it looks like Uriel just bit off more than he could chew,” Maze said with a smirk.

At that moment, they all felt the room start to vibrate in a powerful earthquake.

“Yeah, I’d say that’s accurate,” Chloe said. She’d figured out exactly what was happening.

Lucifer finally stopped the assault on his brother and looked up in shock.

Uriel’s eyes widened in fear. “No!”

“Seriously? An Earthquake now?” Maze asked in disbelief.

“I don’t think that’s a regular Earthquake,” Chloe said.

Lucifer let his brother fall to the ground before going over to Chloe. He was almost afraid to touch her, worried she’d disappear, but he did, believing probably for the first moment that she was actually there. He held her close and conjured his wings, bringing the left one right in front of her. He was very confused, and angry, but he knew what was happening, and he was going to protect the woman he loved. She was here, and he would not lose her again.

“It’s okay,” Chloe said to Lucifer as she held him back. She wanted to assure him both that she was safe and that she was really there, because she knew he had to be afraid that she was somehow going to disappear.

The shaking stopped soon, and God and Raziel appeared. God looked none too pleased.

“Father,” Lucifer whispered.


	23. Chapter 23

God looked around the room. Samael was standing with Chloe Decker in his arms. His eyes were bright red, indicating his rage, which wasn't even tamed by the woman he loved intertwined in his arms, and his wing was placed protectively in front of the detective. His demon was next to him, and Cain was laying at their feet suffering from gunshot wounds.

Finally, God's gaze reached his other son, who was laying on the ground with blood covering his face. God knew nothing but fury as he looked at his son. Not only had he faked his own death and involved his sister in it, he'd concocted a plot to torture his brother, which had left hundreds of humans dead. He doubted Uriel could even begin to fathom how severely he'd be punished.

Uriel looked up at his father in fear. This wasn't supposed to happen. His father was never supposed to find out the truth, and if he did, he wasn't supposed to be angry with him. He was only putting Lucifer back where he belonged. But looking at his father now, he knew his father was furious. "Dad, I…"

"Be silent!" God bellowed so loudly that the vibrations of his voice made the walls shake. "You will stay quiet and remain where you are until I tell you otherwise!"

Uriel gulped and nodded.

God made his way over to the others, only to have his son stick his wing out in a threatening manner the moment he got close.

Lucifer held Chloe tighter as his father got closer. It wasn't even the fact that it was his father that was coming towards him that made him defensive. He could be anyone, and it would be the same. Lucifer was seeing danger everywhere.

God sighed and held up his hands in a peaceful motion. "Samael, if I wanted to harm her, why would I go to so much trouble to save her."

Chloe tugged at Lucifer's arm gently. "Hey, look at me."

Lucifer barely heard her, rage, shock, and fear still clouding his mind. But he did hear, so he turned to her.

"It's okay, Lucifer. It's over. I'm here. No one can hurt us anymore," Chloe assured him.

Lucifer seemed to come back to reality at her words. Everything that happened since he arrived finally registered in his mind. He hadn't really let it register before. He just acted on instinct. Now, he let it hit him. He let himself really see Chloe and what was going on around him. With that, he realized that he'd not only showed her his wings, but also his red eyes, and she didn't seem afraid.

Chloe tentatively touched his wing, not quite sure how her touch would affect it. "It's okay. Your dad doesn't want to hurt us. He wants Cain."

Lucifer hesitantly let his wings drop and fold into his back. "Y…you're not afraid of me?"

Chloe shook her head. "No."

Lucifer held her close, terrified that she was going to disappear again. He could hardly believe this was happening. He knew it was. This was more vivid than any dream he'd had of her return over the last six months. She was here, in his arms. It was just so difficult to comprehend after all that had happened.

Chloe hugged him back.

God, meanwhile, stood over Cain, who was still being held down by Mazikeen. "Cain. You know, many humans have come to be since I created the first, but you are one of the few I've developed a personal distaste for."

Pierce did his best to glare at God, despite the terrible predicament he knew he was in. "Do whatever you want. There's nothing you can do to me that's worse than this eternal hell."

"Oh, I think you underestimate my power to punish. It wouldn't be the first time, would it? If I recall, there was a time when immortality didn't seem like such a bad fate. However, sometimes punishment isn't the answer. I punished you, and it did nothing but cause my son unnecessary pain and destroy hundreds of human lives," God said.

"I did what I had to do," Pierce said remorselessly.

"Bastard," Chloe whispered. 98

God knelt down beside the oldest human alive. "Did you? Tell me, did you really think that Uriel could deliver on his promise? You thought that he could undo my power?"

Pierce glanced between Uriel and God, but said nothing.

"I'll have you know, Cain, that there are only two beings in the universe with the power to free you from your curse. It goes without saying that I'm the first. You are the second," God informed him

Pierce stared at him in disbelief. "The hell I am. I've wanted this curse gone for centuries."

"Yes, and had you changed your life, you would've received your wish. Granted, you likely would've gone to Hell, but you still would've been allowed to die. All you had to do was turn your life around, maybe show a bit of remorse. There really was no hope of that though, was there?" God asked before standing up

"Congratulations, Cain. You murdered the father of my child for nothing," Chloe said in disgust.

"Yes, she is correct. I should let your punishment stand, maybe even add to it, but as I said, punishment isn't always the best course of action. You want to die? Fine, you'll die," God said.

"What? No! You can't just give him what he wants! You can't reward him for what he took from us!" Chloe said angrily.

Lucifer held her back as she went to move closer to his father. Honestly, he was angry too, and of course still very confused by all of this. He could see why Chloe wanted Cain alive, but he also saw his father's point for the first time in eons. Pierce was a danger. Lucifer wanted him dead. He wanted him away from those he loved forever.

God put up his hand to stop the detective's tirade. "I understand how you feel, my dear, believe me. You want justice, and this hardly seems like it. However, there are more important things than justice. This man has done too much damage. He has to be stopped before he does something worse."

Chloe sighed. She could see where God was coming from. Cain had done a lot of damage. Three hundred people dead was proof of that. It just didn't seem right that he got what he wanted after all of this. He deserved to suffer.

God turned back to Cain. "You will die, Cain, but not today. You will finish out this lifespan, and in that time, and afterwards, you will pay for the crimes you've committed. Evidence will soon appear that you caused the plane crash that took Daniel Espinoza's life, alone with the hundreds of people who died with him. You will also be discovered to be the crime boss known as the Sinnerman. Then once your life has ended, you will go to Hell, no matter the state of your conscience."

"Wait, he's the Sinnerman?" Lucifer asked surprised. That much he hadn't known. He'd only known that he was Cain, and that he'd caused the plane crash. "If that's true, how did he…"

"Return your wings? He didn't. Neither did I. You gave them back to yourself, son. You decided you deserved them back," God said with a smile.

"What? That's ridiculous! I didn't want them," Lucifer protested.

"Perhaps not, but they are yours, and your actions told you that you deserved to have them. You were right," God said before waving his hand. Cain disappeared.

"Where did he go?" Chloe asked.

"A nearby hospital. I also healed his injuries enough to keep him alive to receive medical attention. I removed his mark, so his injuries would be fatal otherwise. By the time he comes through treatment, his crimes will have come to light," God explained.

Chloe nodded. She could live with this. Cain would still pay for what he did to Dan. He would spend the rest of his life in prison, and given that he murdered a cop, it would be a very hard life.

"What about that piece of crap?" Maze asked as she motioned towards Uriel.

God made his way over to Uriel and glared at him. "Uriel, is there even anything I can say to convey how disappointed I am in you?"

"How is he even alive?" Lucifer asked. Actually, he could ask that question about multiple people in this room, but Uriel had been killed by a blade that should've destroyed all of him.

"The blade didn't work the same way because it was deconstructed. It killed him, but it didn't destroy him. He received aid in returning to his body," God explained.

"Who was helping him?" Lucifer demanded to know. It was obviously someone other than Cain. He didn't have the power for that.

"Sam, he manipulated her. She only wanted to help him. Don't hold it against her," Raziel spoke up.

"Azrael," Lucifer growled. There was only one sibling Raziel would speak up for in such a manner. His twin. Plus, Azrael would've sensed Uriel die. She would've been in the perfect position to save him. Of course, knowing all that, Lucifer felt terribly betrayed. Azrael was one of his favorite siblings. He still had resentment for her, but she was still his little sister. It cut to know she'd be at all involved in this.

"She didn't know what he was going to do. She's also part of the reason Chloe's alive. She helped to keep her soul in her body," Raziel said.

Lucifer held Chloe tighter in response. He then glared at Uriel. "Why did you do this? Why didn't you just come after me yourself! At least that would've left you with some self-respect, even if you lost! Instead, you targeted innocent people."

"And even then, you couldn't do it yourself," Chloe added coldly.

Uriel glared at his brother. "You ask why? You killed me! You tried to wipe me from existence. You deserved whatever pain you felt!"

"Yeah? Did a little girl deserve it? She was in agony, believing she was all alone. Her parents were both dead! She was scared. She hadn't done anything to you! Neither had Chloe or Daniel!" Lucifer yelled.

Chloe shut her eyes sadly as she thought of the pain her daughter went through. Lucifer was likely the only thing that kept her from being completely devastated. She didn't want to think about where Trixie would be without him.

"Why should I care about some stupid humans?" Uriel asked.

"You bastard!" Lucifer said angrily before lunging at him.

"Lucifer, don't!" Chloe yelled.

God caught his son by the back of his suit coat before he could get to his brother. He then pulled him against himself and held his son tightly in his arms. "No, stop!"

"Let go of me! I'll kill him!" Lucifer yelled.

"You will not! Stop immediately, Samael!" God said with authority.

"You'll just let him get away with it? What, it's all fine since I'm the one he came after?" Lucifer asked angrily.

God held his son firmly while turning to his youngest son. "Raziel, take Uriel home and lock him in his room until I return. I also want you standing outside his door. Alert the others as well. He is to go nowhere."

"What?! No bloody way!" Lucifer yelled.

"Yes, Father," Raziel said. He jerked Uriel up by the arm and flew away with him.

"Samael, that is enough!" God said firmly as the younger being struggled. "I know you're angry, but you need to calm down. Uriel will suffer the consequences for what he's done, I assure you.

"Oh, how, by you locking him in his room? I was sent to Hell for starting a fight, but he gets away with killing hundreds of people? And Hell was apparently leniency. If you had it your way, you would've killed me!" Lucifer growled.

"Alright, you will believe that lie for not even a second longer! Not once in your life have I ever considered killing you, nor will I. You are my son. I would never harm you," God said firmly.

A part of Lucifer wanted to accuse his father of lying, but he knew he wouldn't. One thing he and his father had in common was their abhorrence for lying. His mother, on the other hand, had lied before, so, while it hurt and angered him, he was more inclined to believe his father.

"Now, listen to me. Uriel will suffer severe consequences for what he did, but it will not be death, and it will not be tonight. I promise you though, you will both see justice done," God said.

"Yes, well, it won't be enough," Lucifer said before finally ceasing his struggles.

"No, I imagine it won't," God said before releasing his son. "Go home. I believe Detective Decker would like very much to see her daughter. I will alert you both when Uriel's fate has been decided.

"That's it. That's all your going to say?" Chloe asked. She wasn't impressed. He was supposed to make it right with Lucifer. While this was a start, it certainly wasn't enough.

"For tonight. I believe everyone has had enough for one night," God said. He knew what she wanted from him, and he had ever intention of doing it, but right now, his son was at his limit.

Chloe nodded, understanding what he was saying.

"One more thing," God said. He held out his hand, and a gold necklace with a medallion flew from a coat that laid on the couch to his hands. Once he knew what he was looking for, he was easily able to retrieve it.

"Azrael's medallion?" Lucifer asked.

"Yes. Uriel was using it to shield Cain's actions from me. I will be on my way now. We will talk soon, Samael," he said before disappearing.

Chloe went over to Lucifer. "Take me home? Your dad's right about one thing. I do need to see Trixie."

Lucifer nodded and pulled her back into his arms before leading the way out of the apartment.


	24. Chapter 24

Chloe and Lucifer sat in silence as he drove them home, both contemplating everything that had happened to them in the course of the last six months. Chloe couldn’t believe she was finally going home. She felt like she would never get to this point, like this hell that Cain, and unbeknownst to her at the time, Uriel, would never end. But it had. Cain would be arrested soon, and Uriel was in God’s hands. She could finally return to her life. Well, sort of. She wasn’t naïve enough to belief that after all that had happened, she could pick up as though she’d been gone since just yesterday. Things weren’t going to be the same.

Lucifer, meanwhile, found that his mind was still racing. He could hardly believe all that had happened tonight. He’d thought he was going after Cain to make him pay for killing Chloe. Instead, he not only found that she was alive, but that his brother was as well. Although, after this, Lucifer could never call him his brother ever again. He took Chloe away. He may not have killed her, but it wasn’t for lack of trying. He’d tried to take all that Lucifer loved away from him. If Chloe had died, he probably would’ve gone after Trixie next. Lucifer hated Uriel more than he’d ever hated anyone, including his father, and there was no denying the hatred he’d felt there. 

Lucifer just couldn’t believe this had actually happened. In fact, a part of him was waiting for it to be wrenched away from him. He was waiting to close his eyes and find that none of it had been real. Thankfully, he realistically knew that wouldn’t happen, but it didn’t stop him from fearing it. 

It wasn’t long before Lucifer found himself into the driveway. He parked and shut the car off, but he didn’t get out. 

Chloe reached over and placed her hand on top of Lucifer’s. “I know this is probably a stupid question, but are you okay?”

“I don’t know. I think I feel almost numb right now,” Lucifer said. It was strange because he was certainly not numb when he was standing in front of Cain and Uriel. He was furious, so much so that his eyes remained red until about halfway through the drive home. That anger was still there somewhere, as was fear and relief, but it was like he couldn’t access any of that at the moment. He didn’t know what he felt on the surface.

“I understand. A lot has happened. I’m here though. I’m not gonna disappear,” Chloe promised. She knew he feared that. She certainly would if she was in his shoes. She was certain this probably didn’t even seem a hundred percent real yet. He had to be terrified that this was just a dream, and he’d wake up alone.

“You swear it?” Lucifer asked as he turned to her. His eyes were silently pleading with her. She couldn’t disappear on him. He could not live through this hell again. 

“Yes, I swear. It’s over. Let’s go inside,” Chloe said.

Lucifer nodded and stepped out of the car. Chloe did as well, and they went to the front door. He opened the door to find Amenadiel immediately heading for him.

“Luci, did you feel the earthquake earlier? That wasn’t…” Amenadiel trailed off in complete shock when he saw who entered behind his brother. His mouth dropped open, hardly believing what he was seeing. “Chloe?”

“Hey, Amenadiel. I have a feeling I’ll be getting that look a lot for a while,” Chloe said before t shutting the door behind her.

“But you were killed in a plane crash over six months ago,” Amenadiel said, still in utter disbelief.

“Not quite, but the SOBs came close to pulling it off. I guess God wasn’t ready for me to die, and, yes, I mean that literally,” Chloe said. She took her jacket off and hung it up. 

“Wait, you know?” Amenadiel asked.

“Yep. I’ve known pretty much the entire time I was considered dead. It would be kind of hard to keep it from me after I woke up in Heaven. Not that your dad even tried,” she said.

“So, you were in Heaven?” Lucifer asked. Once he had time to think on it, he sort of deduced that. Where else would they bring her to save her. Plus, it made sense with the way she interacted with his father. One didn’t speak to God himself so casually after just meeting him.

“Yeah. You have a really nice suite, by the way, and I love the star in your living room,” Chloe said with a smile.

Now it was Lucifer’s turn to drop his mouth open in shock. “You were in my rooms?”

“Yeah. Are you okay with that?”

“Yes, of course. If anyone is going to be there, it ought to be you. I’m just surprised. I would’ve assumed those rooms wouldn’t even exist anymore. I figured my father destroyed them after my fall. Not that I would care,” Lucifer said.

“No, of course you don’t,” Chloe said. She knew better. Lucifer didn’t want to admit it to himself, but he would care a great deal if his father destroyed his home in Heaven. He cared what his father thought of him. 

Lucifer took off his suit jacket and draped it over the nearest chair. “I should go wake the child. She shouldn’t spend another night without the truth.”

Chloe nodded. She needed to see Trixie so badly. It had been so long since she’d seen her child. She couldn’t be without her any longer.  
Amenadiel watched his brother leave the room before turning back to Chloe. “I’m glad you’re back, Chloe. Things were really bad for Lucifer after he lost you. He spent millennia in Hell, but none of that compared to what this has been like for him. Your daughter is the reason he made it through that.

Chloe nodded and smiled sadly. “I hate what they went through, but I’m glad Lucifer and Trixie had each other.”

“It’s over right? No one’s coming after you, are they?” Amenadiel asked.

Chloe shook her head. “I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t over.”

“Who was the angel involved?”

“Uriel,” Chloe answered.

Amenadiel found himself in shock once more. “But he’s…”

“No more dead than I am. Your dad has him now. I know it’s confusing, but it’s true. I can explain more another time,” Chloe told him. She couldn’t explain anymore tonight. She just wanted to be with her daughter and enjoy finally being home.

As if on cue, Trixie’s voice was soon heard. “Is it a good surprise.”

“Yes, it’s a wonderful surprise. Child, I’m afraid I told you something a while back that I’ve just learned isn’t true,” Lucifer said as he walked out with her.

“What is it?” Trixie asked as they walked. Then they turned the corner into the living room and saw her. Her mommy was standing just a few feet away. But Trixie didn’t understand how she could be. Her mother died. She was supposed to be in Heaven.

“Trixie,” Chloe whispered.

Trixie grabbed Lucifer’s hand, kind of afraid. Her mom had died. She couldn’t be here, but she was. She was standing next to Amenadiel.

“What’s wrong, child? Your mother’s right here. It’s alright,” Lucifer assured her.

Chloe knelt down to her daughter’s level. “Hey, Monkey. It’s okay. I’m really here. I know it’s confusing and scary because you thought I died, but I’m here, baby.”

That was all Trixie needed to hear. She let go of Lucifer’s hand and flew into her mother’s arms in an instant.

Chloe held her daughter back tightly. She had missed her so much. She never wanted to let the little girl go, which seemed just fine because Trixie didn’t appear to be in any hurry to let her go either. “It’s okay now, baby. I missed you so much.”

“Don’t leave me ever again!” Trixie sobbed.

“Oh, Trixie, I’m so sorry. I’m not going anywhere,” she promised.

Amenadiel, meanwhile, decided it was best for him to leave. These three needed to be alone for a while. He quickly nodded to Lucifer and headed out of the house.

After several minutes, Trixie stopped crying and removed just one arm for her mother, reaching it towards Lucifer. “Lucifer?”

Lucifer went over and knelt down beside them, putting his arms around both of them. 

“Thanks for bringing my mommy back, Lucifer,” Trixie said.

“Oh, I wish it was me, but I can take no credit here. I was as surprised as you that she returned,” Lucifer said. 

Trixie pulled out of his arms, but kept a tight hold on her mother. She doubted she’d want to let go anytime soon. “Then who gave her back to us?”

“My father,” Lucifer said. Regardless of his issues with his father, even now that he’d denied him personal revenge against Uriel, he couldn’t deny that he’d saved Chloe’s life. He owed him, and it was one debt Lucifer would gladly pay. He’d give his father anything for this. 

“Trixie, I know this will all be hard to understand, but I didn’t really die. I was very hurt, and Lucifer’s family helped me get well. I’m home now though, and I’m not leaving,” Chloe promised.

“Does that mean Daddy’s coming home too?” Trixie asked hopefully. She loved Lucifer. He was her dad now too, and she always wanted him to be, but she also wanted her daddy. She missed him. She could just have two dads.

Chloe closed her eyes sadly before willing herself to face her daughter and tell her the terrible truth. “No, Monkey. I’m sorry, but Daddy’s not coming back. I was hurt really badly, but I could still be helped. Daddy died before anyone could help him.

Trixie looked like she would cry for a minute, and then hugged her mother and Lucifer again. “At least you’re home, Mommy.”

Lucifer continued to hold them both and vowed it would be a very long time before he let them go.


	25. Chapter 25

Lucifer woke up the next morning with Trixie almost on top of him. The child had begged to sleep with him and her mother last night, and neither adult would deny her anything. Not that Lucifer at all minded because he too wanted those he loved close. Unfortunately, as he looked over to see Chloe, he found her side of the bed completely empty. Panic began to set in, as he had still been terrified that Chloe would disappear on him. 

Lucifer gently moved Trixie over, as not to wake her, before pulling himself out of bed and rushing out of the room as fast as he could. “Detective! Chloe, are you here?”

Lucifer turned the corner into the living room to find Chloe on the couch looking at a photograph. He immediately breathed a sigh of relief. 

Chloe turned to him. “Hey, I’m right here. It wasn’t a dream, I promise.”

“I’m sorry,” Lucifer said as he finally began to relax again.

“Don’t be. You spent six months thinking I was dead. I imagine it’s going to take a lot longer than a few hours to get over it. You’re waiting for me to disappear on you. I’d probably feel the same. Hell, I kind of do. It’s hard to believe it’s over after so long. I keep expecting to wake up and found there are still people trying to kill me.

Lucifer walked over to her and sat down. “I’m sorry. If you didn’t know me, it never would’ve…”

“Don’t! I won’t let you blame yourself for this! The only ones responsible are Uriel and Cain,” Chloe said.

“They came after you because of me,” Lucifer argued. 

“They came after me because they were selfish, awful people, or in Uriel’s case, an angel. Yeah, they wanted to hurt you, or at least Uriel did, but that’s not your fault. You didn’t deserve what they did. Believe me, I get the urge to blame yourself. When I found out Dan and all those other people were killed just so that I would die…”

“No, that’s different, darling. Of course, that wasn’t your fault. You did nothing to warrant them coming after you,” Lucifer immediately said.

“Neither did you. Yeah, okay, you stabbed Uriel, but he left you with no other choice," Chloe told him.

“I have regretted that night every day since it happened. I felt like a monster for it. I would’ve given almost anything for him to be alive again. Now he is, and I wish the bloody bastard had died,” Lucifer growled.

Chloe put her hand on top of his. “I know, but at least you don’t have to live with that anymore. I saw what it almost did to you. You tried to provoke a sniper into killing you.”

“I wanted to be punished. You know, if Uriel had come after me, it would’ve been fine. I could understand him trying to attack me,” Lucifer said.

“He had no business coming after anyone, including you. You stabbed Uriel to stop him from hurting me and your mother. You had no choice,” Chloe said.

Lucifer looked at her in awe. “You truly do know everything, don’t you?”

Chloe smiled. “Your dad likes to talk.”

Lucifer rolled his eyes. “Yes, he always has. The old bastard could talk your ear off forever. Unless, of course, you want to hear something from him. Then he keeps his bloody trap shut.”

Chloe could hear the bitterness in his voice. God had best keep his promise to talk to his son. Lucifer needed to find some kind of closure with the issues he had with his father.

“It’s hard to believe all of this. You’re back. You know absolutely everything, and you’re not afraid of me,” Lucifer said in disbelief. He’d always feared that if he gave Chloe proof that he was the monster he said he was, she’d be terrified of him. Why shouldn’t she be? But she looked at him no differently than she had six months ago.

“Why should I be afraid of you, Lucifer?”

“I’m the Devil?” Lucifer said as though it were obvious.

Chloe shook her head. “You were Hell’s warden. You made sure souls were punished. The only thing that made you the Devil was a bunch of idiots putting a label on you. They said it so much that you believed it too, but you’re not the Devil. What devil comes to Earth and opens a nightclub, granting people favors? What devil works as a consultant for the police? What devil feels pain so badly he wants to die, but instead pulls himself together to take care of a child that lost everything?”

Lucifer looked at her. “My father told you it was me taking care of her, huh?”

“Not exactly, but he eventually made it clear,” Chloe said.

“Your mother thought the child was better off with me, and despite the fact that I was sure you wouldn’t want that, I couldn’t let her go, not when the chance to keep her with me was offered,” Lucifer said.

Chloe was just about to tell him how wrong he was when the voice of her frightened child rang throughout the apartment.

“Mommy!” the child practically screamed. She came running into the room moments later.

“It’s okay, baby,” Chloe said just in time to have her daughter run into her arms.

“I was scared when you weren’t in bed! I thought you were gone!” Trixie cried.

“No, Trixie, I’m right here,” Chloe promised.

“Your mother isn’t going anywhere, child. I believe that is something that is going to take us both time to believe,” Lucifer said.

Trixie pulled away after a minute. “I don’t have to go to school today, do I? I don’t want to.”

“No, Monkey,” Chloe said.

“Certainly not,” Lucifer said at the same time.

“Good,” Trixie said in relief before sitting in between her mother and Lucifer.

Chloe hugged her daughter tightly. “I’m so happy to be home with you.”

“Me too. I missed you, Mommy. I would talk to you in Heaven sometimes, even though Lucifer said you couldn’t hear me. It made me feel better just to talk sometimes. You couldn’t hear me, could you? You were in Heaven, right?” Trixie asked.

“Yes, I was, and no, I couldn’t hear you. I saw you once though,” Chloe said.

“How?” Lucifer asked in disbelief. It shouldn’t be possible for her to see anything going on with them from the Silver City. Humans, nor human souls had that ability.

“Your dad showed me,” Chloe told him.

“You saw us? What were we doing?” Trixie asked.

“You were buying camping gear. Did you actually get Lucifer to take you camping?” Chloe asked. If it was true, she was going to be so mad she missed that. She would love to see Lucifer in one of his designer suits out in the woods for days at a clip.

“Certainly not. I would never lower myself to such an activity,” Lucifer said immediately.

Chloe laughed, because she had a feeling that if Trixie pleaded well enough, Lucifer would do it. They just might have to test that one of these days.

“It was for Clair’s birthday. We went for the weekend. It was really fun, but I got poison ivy. Then Lucifer yelled at Clair’s mommy and daddy,” Trixie explained.

“Lucifer,” Chloe admonished just a little. She was laughing, so it wasn’t much of a reprimand.

“I was very clear. They were to return her in the condition that they took her in,” Lucifer said simply.

“Mommy, why did you have to be in Heaven for so long? Was it because you were hurt so bad in the accident?” Trixie asked.

Chloe quickly shared a look with Lucifer, where both of them seemed to realize they had to tell Trixie at least something close to the truth. “Not exactly. I was better a long time ago.”

“Why couldn’t you come home then?” she asked.

“Because people were afraid of me getting hurt again,” Chloe said. 

“But why would you? It was just an accident,” Trixie said.

“Trixie, look at me,” Lucifer said. It needed to come from him. It was his fault. He didn’t want to tell her this, but he did not lie, not even by keeping silent. At least he tried not to. He was already pretty close to that by letting Trixie think her father was in Heaven when he was pretty sure he wasn’t. But that was as close as he would come. 

Trixie did as he asked.

“I told you that your mother and father were killed in an accident. I thought that was what had happened, but it wasn’t an accident,” Lucifer told her.

“Then what happened?” Trixie asked confused. 

“Some bad people came after us,” Chloe said.

“You and Daddy were hurt on purpose?”

Chloe nodded.

“Why?” she asked, with pain and anger in her young voice. That meant someone took her daddy away forever and tried to take her mommy too. That wasn’t fair.

“Because of me,” Lucifer said sadly. 

“No, not because of you,” Chloe said firmly before turning back to her daughter. “It was because they wanted to hurt Lucifer. They don’t like him, and they decided it was okay to hurt him by trying to hurt me, because they knew it would make him really sad.”

Lucifer watched as the child turned back to him. He braced himself for the loving look she usually gave him to turn into one of hate. He was responsible for her father’s death. Trixie was going to realize that and hate him for it. And that was going to break him. He loved this child as though she was his. He couldn’t handle her hating him.

Trixie hugged Lucifer tightly. “I won’t let anyone hurt you anymore, Lucifer. They can’t take you away, like they took Daddy.”

Lucifer was shocked by the child’s reaction. He expected her to start blaming him for Daniel’s death, but she didn’t. If anything, she was upset that anyone wanted to hurt him. 

Chloe smiled. “There you go. Stop blaming yourself. No one else does.”

Lucifer simple held the child in his arms tightly in response.


	26. Chapter 26

That night Chloe was in her room getting Trixie ready for bed. Well, she supposed now that it was also Lucifer’s room. Trixie would need a few more nights before she’d feel secure enough to sleep in her own bed, so she’d be sleeping with them again.

“Mommy, I don’t wanna go to sleep without you,” Trixie said. She was still scared that she was going to lose her mother again. That it would either all have been a dream or something else would take her mom away.

“Monkey, it’s alright. I’m gonna stay until you fall asleep, and in a few hours, Lucifer and I will be in to sleep with you,” Chloe promised. She hated seeing her daughter so afraid, and a part of her wanted to give in and just stay with her every second, but that wouldn’t be good for her daughter. It would just keep the fear going.

“But what if something happens?” Trixie asked.

“Nothing’s going to. I’m not even leaving the house. Lucifer and I will be right in the living room. Plus, everyone involved with trying to hurt us has been stopped. Everything is okay,” Chloe said.

“You promise you’ll come to bed soon?” Trixie asked. 

“Yeah. Once you fall asleep, it’ll only be a couple of hours,” Chloe promised.

Trixie nodded reluctantly. She still didn’t like it, but she knew she didn’t have a choice. She also knew Lucifer wouldn’t let anything happen to her mother. He would keep her safe. Trixie just couldn’t help but still be scared.

Chloe began tucking her daughter into bed.

“Mommy, what’s gonna happen now?” Trixie asked.

“What you do mean, sweetie,” Trixie asked.

“Is Lucifer going to leave now that you’re back. I don’t want him to. I don’t want things to be the way they were before with Lucifer,” Trixie said. Before her mom got hurt and her dad died, Lucifer only came over once and a while to see her mom. She didn’t see him all that much. She didn’t want it to be like that anymore.

Chloe sat down next to her daughter. She wasn’t at all surprised by her daughter’s words. Of course, Trixie was attached to Lucifer. She spent six months with him as her primary caretaker. He was her parent. That wasn’t something that could just be disregarded, not that Chloe ever would. She respected the relationship Trixie and Lucifer had, and she wouldn’t dare undermine it, no matter what might happen between her and Lucifer. “Trixie, listen to me. I don’t know exactly what’s going to happen next, but I promise that you do not need to worry about Lucifer not being a part of your life. No matter what happens, Lucifer is a part of our family. He’s always going to be here for you.”

Trixie relaxed quite a bit. “Good. Do you think Daddy would be made that Lucifer’s like my daddy now too?”

“No, Monkey. I know that Daddy would be really happy that someone was there to take care of you when we couldn’t be, and that there’s someone to do all the things that he can’t do anymore,” Chloe said. There was no hesitation in her voice as she spoke. She knew that was exactly what Dan would say if he could. He loved Trixie more than anything. He’d be grateful to Lucifer.

Just then, Lucifer came in. “Alright, Spawn, are you ready to go to sleep.”

“I guess so,” Trixie said before handing him a book that had been next to her on the bed.

Lucifer took the book from her, immediately recognizing the same title he’d seen every night for the last month. “Alright, but this is the last time for this one. Tomorrow, you pick another book.”

Trixie smiled. She knew she’d get him to read her the same book tomorrow. He’d said the same thing for the last week, but he still read her the same book when she asked.

Lucifer and Chloe immediately got up on the bed, on either side of Trixie, and laid down.

Trixie cuddled up to Lucifer and put her head on his shoulder, like she did every night when he read to her.

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

Chloe and Lucifer walked out into the living room twenty minutes later. “I miss that, tucking her in at night,” Chloe said.

“Well, you’ll get the chance from now on,” Lucifer said, almost with a grimace. He was glad that Chloe would have the chance to tuck her daughter in every night, but it was bittersweet because he didn’t know much longer he’d get the opportunity. When he first found out Chloe was alive, he was in mind blowing shock, which then turned to extreme happiness. He was still extremely happy that Chloe was back. He didn’t even want to imagine losing her again. But he couldn’t deny that he now felt fear. Chloe was back, which meant he wasn’t needed to care for Trixie anymore. 

“Are you okay,” Chloe asked. She’d noticed Lucifer had become very thoughtful, plus his face was filled with worry. 

“Yes, it is nothing to worry about,” Lucifer said.

“Lucifer, something is obviously up. You’re a bit off. I expect some of that. You thought I was dead for six months. That would jilt anyone, but this seems to be more than that,” Chloe said.

“I…I was just thinking about how much is going to change now,” Lucifer said.

Chloe nodded. She knew what he was thinking about. It was the same thing Trixie had been. He was afraid of losing the only thing that had kept him going for so long. “Come on, let’s go sit down,” she said before offering him her hand.

Lucifer took the offered hand and soon found himself sitting next to Chloe on the couch. “Uh, I hope that didn’t sound wrong to you. I certainly don’t mean that it’s not a good thing that you’re back, and that means changes.”

“I know that. It’s just that you can’t forget what happened when I wasn’t here. You can’t go back like that time didn’t happen. I can’t either. I know it isn’t the same as it was for you, but my life changed too, and I can’t say that I’m the same person,” Chloe said. 

“Again, I don’t want this to come out wrong, but I don’t think I even want to go back to that person,” Lucifer said. The person he was then hadn’t loved Trixie as he did know. He hadn’t really considering as much other than the detective’s child. He would’ve done his best to keep her safe because he cared for her mother, and in turn cared for her somewhat, but it was far from what it was now. Plus, losing Chloe had changed the way he was. He was no longer so afraid of loving someone or feeling vulnerable. Before, he was afraid of being hurt, but nothing could possibly hurt more than losing Chloe had.

“Yeah, I get that too. I won’t say that what happened was at all good. There’s nothing good about Dan’s death, or yours and Trixie’s pain, but there are certain things that I’m glad happened, like learning all there is to know about you,” Chloe said.

Lucifer nodded. She seemed to know exactly how he felt. There wasn’t anything good about what they’d lost, but certain experiences because of It weren’t so bad. 

“You know, you were wrong this morning, when you said I wouldn’t be happy that you had Trixie. When your father showed me that you had been taking care of her, I was relieved,” Chloe said.

Lucifer looked at her in shock. “But, you knew I wasn’t good with children. You knew I didn’t know what I was doing, and that I’d say or do something inappropriate.”

“I also knew you wouldn’t let anything happen to her, and that you would try to do what was best for her. You wouldn’t try to make her something she wasn’t. I couldn’t trust my mom, or anyone else I could think of, to do those things. That’s probably why I never made a will. There was no one that I could think of that could give my daughter what she needed if Dan and I couldn’t. I never thought of you because I knew you didn’t like children. But you did it anyway without anyone asking you to,” Chloe said.

“Well, that’s not exactly true. Your mother did ask, and she did do what she thought was best for Trixie,” Lucifer said.

“I know. She realized that you were better able to care for Trixie than she was,” Chloe said. She had to give her mother credit. She’d thought of Trixie’s needs before her own. 

“I was shocked when she asked me to do it. I told her that I couldn’t care for a child. Then she informed me that I already was. I hadn’t realized it. I think I was acting off of autopilot. I think I did that for a long time,” Lucifer said.

“You helped each other. No pun intended, but you were both in hell. You got each other through it all. Lucifer, listen to me. There is so much you and I have to talk about. I don’t even know where to start, and I certainly don’t know how it will end. What I do know is that I respect everything you’ve done for Trixie. I respect your place in her life. You are her father,” Chloe said firmly. He could never replace Dan, who would always be Trixie’s father, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t have another one. Lucifer was Trixie’s dad in nearly every way.

Relief and joy hit Lucifer almost immediately. The fear he’d originally had was gone. He wasn’t going to be cut out of Trixie’s life, not would his place in it be diminished. Chloe had just acknowledged that she was his child too. “Thank you for saying that.”

“It’s the truth,” Chloe said.

“Mommy!” Trixie suddenly yelled out in fear. 

“I had a feeling she was going to have nightmares,” Chloe said.

“Yes, I did as well,” Lucifer said before standing up.

Chloe got up as well and followed Lucifer to check on her…. to check on their daughter.


	27. Chapter 27

The next morning Lucifer was in the kitchen making breakfast. Trixie was with him, setting the table. Chloe was still asleep, and he decided to let her as long as she could. He didn’t know how well she’d slept while she was away, but he’d guessed that it wasn’t the best, given that she’d been forced out of her life. 

“Lucifer?” Trixie suddenly called.

“Yes, Spawn,” Lucifer responded.

“When do I have to go back to school?” Trixie asked.

“I’m not sure. It’s Friday, so your mother and I will likely discuss that this weekend. You needn’t worry when you go back. I will not allow anyone to take your mother from us again,” Lucifer promised.

“I know, but I still don’t want to leave her. It hurt really bad when we thought she was gone,” Trixie said.

“Yes, I know,” Lucifer said. Just the thought of the past six months, thinking Chloe was dead, sent shooting pains through his chest. He could understand Trixie not wanting to leave her mother’s side. He didn’t want to either. He got the feeling they were going to feel like that for a long time. 

“You’re not gonna leave, right, Lucifer. Mommy said you’d always be our family. She said you wouldn’t leave,” Trixie said. 

Lucifer stopped what he was doing and turned to the child. He searched for the words to assure Trixie that he wasn’t leaving her trying not to give her false hope that they’d all continue to live together. “You and I will always have the relationship we do now. We will spend a lot of time together, and I will come to you anytime you need me to. I just may not be living with you for much longer.”

“Why not? This is your house now too,” Trixie said.

“Yes, I suppose it has been, but it was yours with your mother and Maze first. It is hardly large enough for all of us,” Lucifer said. It was the truth, of course. He didn’t say anything that wasn’t, but there were other reasons.

“But we could get a new house where there’s more room,” Trixie said.

Lucifer was saved from replying when he heard Chloe’s voice.

“Morning, you two,” Chloe said.

“Good morning, Mommy. Lucifer’s making breakfast,” Trixie said before going over and hugging her mother. 

“Yeah, I see. It smells really good,” Chloe said.

“Yes, of course. I am an excellent cook,” Lucifer boasted. He then piled a stack of pancakes onto a plate, loaded them with syrup, and brought it to the table, serving each of their plates quickly. “Alright, we’re ready.

“Great,” Chloe said before going to sit down. Lucifer and Trixie quickly joined her, and they all started eating. About fifteen minutes later, they heard the door open and shut.

Trixie looked up from her meal to see Maze come in. “Maze, you’re home! You missed it when Mommy came home, but she said you already knew.”

“Yes, and how long was that for, Maze?” Lucifer asked. He kept his tone as passive as possible with Trixie present, but he made certain Maze could sense the tightness in it. 

Chloe smacked him lightly on the arm. “Hey, stop it. She only knew a couple of hours longer than you did.”

Lucifer nodded, accepting the answer. He would’ve preferred to know right away, but Maze hadn’t known for long, and she’d called him when she knew things were going to go down. 

“Maze, where have you been? I figured you’d be back yesterday,” Chloe said. She knew why Maze hadn’t come back right away. She was trying to give the three of them time to get reacquainted. Still, Chloe assumed she would’ve returned yesterday.

“Yeah, well, I decided to make sure you people got your sickening sweet reunion out of your systems. I stayed with Linda. She was shocked to find out you weren’t dead. And, Lucifer, she wants you to call her when things calm down,” Maze said.

“Bloody hell,” Lucifer whispered, knowing that the doctor was going to insist on dedicating several sessions to this mess. 

“Decker, I stopped by the storage center where we stashed your stuff. I brought some of it back,” Maze said.

“That’s great. Thank you, Maze,” Chloe said. She had been borrowing Maze’s stuff, and it made her feel more than a little out of place and underdressed. 

“Hey, little human, how about you help me find a place for this stuff,” Maze said. 

Trixie looked hesitantly towards her mother, still iffy about leaving the room without her. She’d fought it a little even this morning when Lucifer asked her to help him with breakfast.

“It’s okay, Monkey. Go with Maze. I’ll be there soon,” Chloe promised.

Trixie reluctantly nodded and headed out of the room with Maze.

“This doesn’t seem to be getting any easier for her,” Chloe said once her daughter was out of the room. Of course, she knew it had only been a couple of days, and separation anxiety was normal, but eventually, Trixie was going to have be without her, and not just out of the room. It didn’t seem like that would go over very well. “You think maybe she should talk to Linda too? Maybe we all should actually.”

“I’ve thought about it, at least for Trixie. She didn’t need it with you gone. Talking with myself and Maze seemed to be enough, but it’s harder now, likely because she’s afraid of losing you again. Perhaps talking with someone would be a good idea. We should speak with Linda about it,” Lucifer said. 

Chloe nodded, and the two of them cleaned up the table from breakfast. Minutes later, they both heard a knock at the door. 

Lucifer went to get the door, as whoever was there would be in for quite a shock if Chloe did it. He opened the door to find Ella at the other side. “Ms. Lopez, what brings you by?”

“Hey, Lucifer. You’re never gonna believe what’s been happening,” Ella said before walking inside. She stopped abruptly when she saw who was there with Lucifer.

“I’m afraid you’re the one who will be in disbelief, Ms. Lopez,” Lucifer said.

“Hi, Ella,” Chloe said.

“Ch…Chloe?! But you…. Wait, are you a ghost?” Ella asked.

Chloe blinked in surprise. That wasn’t the reaction she was expecting. “Uh, no.”

“It’s okay. I’ve seen ghosts before. I have this friend, Rae-Rae, who came to me right after a car accident when I was a kid. If you’re a ghost, that’s great,” Ella said.

Lucifer gaped in shock upon hearing his sister’s nickname. That couldn’t possibly be a coincidence. Ms. Lopez hadn’t been seeing a ghost. She’d been seeing the Angel of Death.

“I’m not a ghost. I didn’t die,” Chloe told her. 

“But your plane blew up. They found your body. Pierce said…” Ella trailed off as realization hit her. “Pierce caused the crash and blew up the plane. He must have lied about your body being identified.”

“How did you know it was Pierce, Ms. Lopez?” Lucifer asked. 

“Oh, right, I didn’t get that far. One of Pierce’s associates turned on him. He came in with evidence yesterday that Pierce caused the plane crash and that he’s also the Sinnerman. He put you in that dessert, Lucifer?” Ella said. 

Lucifer could only guess that his father compelled whoever came forward. He did say that evidence would be discovered. It was a bit unlike him to become so involved, but he supposed Cain had pissed him off enough.

“Has he been arrested?” Chloe asked.

“Sort of. He’s in the hospital from gunshots. I guess one of his associates got pissed tried to take him out. He’s cuffed to the bed, and there are officers outside his door. You don’t seem very surprised that it was Pierce. Did you know?” Ella asked.

“Yeah. The reason I’ve been gone so long is that I knew that there was someone out there trying to kill me. Dan died because of it, and I didn’t want anyone else to get hurt. Plus, I didn’t want to put my family through the same pain twice if whoever it was tried again and succeeded this time,” Chloe explained. They had to tell as much of the truth as possible. Lucifer didn’t lie, and she like to either. Clearly, she couldn’t tell about Heaven and God, but she could get as close to being accurate as possible. 

Ella took the information in and then nodded. “Yeah, I can understand that. Everyone was pretty devastated,” she said as she glanced over at Lucifer. She remembered the pain in his eyes. In fact, this was the first time she hadn’t seen it in six months. 

“Anyway, I was doing some investigating myself. I wasn’t able to prove it, but I was sure it was Pierce,” Chloe said. 

“Wow. You’re good. He seemed like such a great guy. I never would’ve guessed that he’d have a double life,” Ella said.

Chloe snorted. “You have no idea of his lives.”

“I’m just really glad you’re back,” Ella said before going to her friend and hugging her tightly. 

“Me too, Ella,” Chloe said as she hugged her back.

Ella pulled away after a minute. “I don’t want to, but I have to get to work.”

“Don’t worry. I’m not going anywhere. Do us a favor though? Don’t say anything to anyone until we figure out how to do it. I promise, it’ll only be a day or two,” Chloe said.

“Yeah, sure. I understand. I won’t say anything,” Ella promised. She then hugged her again and then Lucifer. “I’ll see you guys later.”

“By Ella,” Chloe said before she and Lucifer led her to the door.


	28. Chapter 28

Almost a week later, Chloe found herself walking into the police station with Lucifer and Trixie. Cain had finally been arrested, and she had to give a formal statement:

Not much had changed in the last week. They were still keeping Trixie home from school. She still got upset whenever Chloe wasn’t close by, and Lucifer and Chloe decided to keep her home at least until they spoke with Linda, which was happening as soon as they left the police station.

Trixie walked with her mother and Lucifer. She stopped after a minute as she came to her father’s old desk. There was someone else sitting there now. 

Lucifer noticed the child’s distress first. “What’s the matter, Spawn?”

“That man’s sitting at Daddy’s desk,” Trixie said as she pointed to him.

Chloe looked over to where her daughter was pointing before turning to Lucifer. “This is her first time being here since it happened, isn’t it?”

Lucifer nodded. “I, myself, have only been back here once.

Chloe knelt in front of her daughter. “Monkey, I know it’s hard seeing someone else at Daddy’s desk. But we’ll always remember it was his, even if someone else is there now.”

Trixie nodded reluctantly. “I guess so. Daddy probably has a brand-new desk in Heaven.”

Chloe and Lucifer shared a knowing look and silently made an agreement. Trixie would never be told that Dan wasn’t in Heaven. Neither liked lies or secrets, but this was something no child should ever know about her parent. 

“Chloe!” a voice suddenly called.

Chloe stood up and turned around just in time to be caught up in one of Ella’s hugs. “Hey, Ella.”

Ella pulled away after a minute. “I hope you know I’m not gonna stop hugging you every time you I see you for a while.”

Chloe chuckled. “That’s just fine, Ella.”

“Are you here to give your statement?” Ella asked.

“Yeah. Would you mind taking Trixie into your lab for a while?” Chloe asked.

“Not at all. I’d love to,” Ella said.

“No, Mommy! I wanna stay with you,” Trixie said. She didn’t even like leaving her Mom to go into another room at home. She certainly didn’t want to leave her alone in the police station.

Chloe turned back to her daughter. “Monkey, you can’t. Lucifer and I need to talk to some people alone for a little while. It’s going to be okay. We’ll be back soon.”

“But what if something happens?” Trixie asked distressed. 

“Nothing will happen, child. I will make sure of it,” Lucifer promised.

“Trixie, Lucifer and I will be back really soon, I promise. You don’t have to worry about something happening every time I leave the room,” Chloe told her.

Trixie reluctantly nodded. She didn’t like it, but she knew she didn’t have a choice. 

“Great. We’ll be back really soon,” Chloe promised before she and Lucifer left the room.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

After finishing up with the acting Lieutenant, Lucifer and Chloe decided to have one last conversation with Cain. He was brought to an interrogation room, and they walked inside. He looked pale and sickly, clearly still recovering from being shot.

“Hello, Cain. Not looking so good, I see,” Lucifer said with a smirk.

“Yeah, well, I did get shot,” Pierce said.

“Try being blown up,” Chloe responded as she sat down across from the man.

“I told you, it wasn’t personal, Decker,” Pierce said.

“No? Well, I assure you it will be quite personal when I arrange the most gruesome Hell you can possibly imagine when you die,” Lucifer said coldly. “You see, Cain, most souls torture themselves in Hell, but there are a few that I find particularly vile. Those deserve hands on attention, and I will see to it that you are one of them!”

“Tell me something, Cain. Did you come here with the purpose of killing me? And why did you kidnap Lucifer?” Chloe asked.

“No, I didn’t come here to kill you. I didn’t meet Uriel until after I arrived. I did come for you though, Decker. I found out you could make Lucifer vulnerable. He could die when he was around you,” Pierce said.

Chloe wasn’t surprised by that information. She’d learned in Heaven that Lucifer could be hurt around her. She hadn’t taken that news very well. She didn’t like that he could be hurt in her presence, but she dealt with that by now. “Oh, I get it. You thought you’d see if I make you vulnerable as well. And you kidnapped Lucifer to get him out of the way.”

Pierce nodded. “Uriel approached me soon afterwards.”

“And you murdered hundreds of people just to kill me!” Chloe yelled hatefully. “It’s not surprising though, is it? You’ve been a murderer your entire life, and we all know how long that was.”

“I just wanted to die, and Uriel would only help if I killed you to get Lucifer back to Hell,” Pierce said.

“But you failed,” Chloe said with a smirk.

“Yes, indeed he did. And that’s when you decided that sending a social worker to my home might do the trick, right, Cain?” Lucifer said heatedly.

“You what? You tried to have Trixie taken from him? As if you didn’t cause either of them enough pain!” Chloe said furiously. She could kill him for this. He had put her and her loved ones through so much pain.

“I thought Uriel would make me kill her if I didn’t find a way to get her out of Lucifer’s life,” Pierce said.

“Do not pretend you ever gave a damn about our daughter,” Chloe said angrily.

Lucifer’s heart leaped as he heard Chloe refer to Trixie as their daughter. She’d acknowledged that he was her father before, but somehow it felt different for her to call the child theirs.

Just then, the door to the interrogation room opened and Charlotte Richards walked in. “Well, hello, Lieutenant Pierce. I suppose it’s no longer ‘Lieutenant though, is it? More like serial murder.”

Chloe stared at Charlotte in shock. It was a bit strange looking at her now knowing that she once housed Lucifer’s mother. Sure, she’d thought she was his stepmother before, but this was different, especially knowing she was a completely different person now.

“Detective Decker, it’s good to see you alive and well. I’d heard that you were alive. I only wish I could say the same about everyone else,” Charlotte said.

“Me too. You’re not his lawyer, are you?” Chloe asked. The last she knew; Charlotte was a defense attorney.

“No, I joined the DA’s office. I’m on your side this time, Detective,” Charlotte said before returning her gaze to Pierce, smiling at him sadistically. “Back to you. You have quite a lot of evidence against you. I recall saying once that I’d crush you if I hadn’t turned my life around. It looks like I’ll get that chance after all.”

“Well, I believe we’ll leave you to it, Counselor. Pierce, I hope you find the rest of your life positively awful,” Lucifer said.

Chloe nodded in agreement before standing up and walking out with Lucifer.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Lucifer and Chloe’s next stop was to see Linda. They waited patiently with Trixie in the waiting area. 

Linda came out moments later and stared at Chloe. “Wow, Chloe. I don’t think I actually fully believed you were alive until right now.”

“Hi, Linda. It’s great to see you,” Chloe said before standing up and hugging the woman. 

“You too, Chloe. I don’t think I can adequately tell you how terrible things have been without you,” Linda said.

Chloe pulled away after a minute. “Thanks for agreeing to see us. I know we didn’t give you a lot of notice.”

“No problem at all. Come inside. I’d like to speak with you alone before talking to Trixie,” Linda said

“Sure. I’ll be right back, you guys,” Chloe told Lucifer and Trixie before walking inside Linda’s office. 

Linda followed her and closed the door. “Before we start, I just have to know. Were you really in Heaven?” 

Chloe laughed as she went and sat on the couch. “Yes, and before you ask what it was like, I didn’t get to see much of it. I was confined to Lucifer’s rooms for my protection.”

“But you’ve met God, right? What’s he like? I thought I met him once, but it turns out it wasn’t really him,” Linda said before sitting in her normal chair.

“Honestly, he’s a lot like everyone else, only super powerful. He’s just as capable of mistakes as the rest of us. Everything that happened with Lucifer is proof of that. He would even admit it.” Chloe told her.

“Wow. Okay, back to you. How are you doing with all of this?” Linda asked.

“You mean with the whole divinity thing? I’m fine. It was shocking at first, but I’ve had six months to get a handle on it. I think probably the biggest issue I had with it, aside from finding out I was in the presence of God, was finding out I was essentially created by God. Without him making sure I existed, I wouldn’t be here. That was a bit overwhelming, but I’m okay,” Chloe explained. 

“I’m glad to hear that, but I was actually referring to having someone trying to kill you and being kept from your family for several months,” Linda said.

“Right. I’ll admit, that’s harder. I missed a lot with Trixie. I’m so glad that she had Lucifer taking care of her, but I hate that I missed so much. So much is different, and some of that I’m glad for, but others kill me, like Dan,” Chloe said sadly.

“It’s understandable that Dan’s death would hit you hard. He was a big part of your life,” Linda said.

Chloe nodded as tears began to flow. “We were divorced, and I didn’t feel the same way about him anymore, but he was still important to me. He was my friend. And now he’s in Hell.”

“Do you know for sure that Dan’s in Hell?” Linda asked.

Chloe nodded. “And he doesn’t deserve it. He made terrible mistakes, but he was trying to make up for them, and if it weren’t for Cain and Uriel, he might have been able to.”

“Chloe, do you blame yourself for Dan’s death?” Linda asked.

“I try not to. I know it wasn’t my fault deep down, and I know that blaming myself only lessons the blame of those actually responsible, but it’s hard to forget that I was the intended target,” Chloe said. She felt kind of like a hypocrite because she told Lucifer not to blame himself when a part of her blamed herself. 

“And you lived while he didn’t. It’s understandable to feel guilty under those circumstances, but you are not to blame,” Linda said.

“Like I said, I know that deep down. I think part of the problem is that right before the plane went down, Dan and I were kind of arguing. Neither of us wanted to go on that trip,” Chloe said regretfully.

“It’s common to have regrets when someone dies. You’ve been through so much, Chloe. Would you be willing to come in for a few sessions? I think it might help you,” Linda said.

Chloe nodded after a minute. “Yeah, I think that’s a good idea.”

Xxxxxxxxxx

Chloe and Lucifer sat and waited while Trixie was in talking with Linda.

“Are you alright?” Lucifer asked. She had seemed upset since she came out of Linda’s office. 

“Yeah, it was just kind of intense. I don’t think I’ve stopped much to think about things until now. I guess it all just hit me when I was talking to Linda. I’m gonna start seeing her for a little while,” Chloe said. 

“There’s no one better to help. Although, it may be strange seeing the same shrink,” Lucifer said.

Linda came out a second later. 

“How’s Trixie?” Chloe asked. 

“She’s fine. I asked her to wait while I talked to you both. I think she’s coping well with things under the circumstances. I know she’s frightened to be away from you, but that’s normal for what she went through. Just be patient with her and it’ll be okay,” Linda said. 

“So, should we continue to keep her out of school?” Chloe asked.

“Actually, I think she should get back to her regular routine. Maybe just give her a few days to get used to the idea of returning to school,” Linda advised.

“Okay. Thanks, Linda.”

Just then, Trixie came out. “Are we leaving now. Lucifer said we could get ice cream when we were done.”

“Yes, Spawn, we’re leaving. Come on,” Lucifer said.

Trixie immediately smiled and grabbed his hand.

“Lucifer, I’ll see you in a couple of days for your session,” Linda said. 

“Yes, yes, and I can just imagine what we’ll discuss?” Lucifer said before leading the way to the door.


	29. Chapter 29

Chloe sat outside with her mom. As soon as she was able to get in touch with her mother and let her know she was alive, the woman had come down as soon as she could. Things were going exceptionally well too. There hadn’t been a shred of discord between them. 

“Dear, you have no idea how happy I was to hear you were alive. Although, I almost collapsed when I heard your voice for the first time,” Penelope said.

“Yeah, I know, Mom. I’ve been shocking a lot of people. I’m really sorry for what you had to go through,” Chloe said.

“Well, it certainly isn’t your fault. This Pierce person is going to suffer for what he’s done, right?” Penelope asked.

“Oh, yes, he will definitely suffer. The DA said that he’s not even contesting the charges,” Chloe said. Cain must have realized that since God had personally gotten involved to ensure his downfall, there was no point in trying to escape justice. 

“That man attended your funeral! As if what he’d done wasn’t enough!” she said angrily.

“It’s okay, Mom. He’ll never hurt anyone again,” Chloe assured her. 

“I know I run the risk of making you angry by bringing this up, but I wanted to explain to you why I didn’t take Trixie,” Penelope said.

“Mom, it’s…”

“No, Chloe, please let me do this. I came here with the intention of taking Trixie, even though every part of me said it was the last thing you wanted, and I can’t deny that that knowledge made the pain I was feeling even worse. But when I was here, I watched Trixie and Lucifer. I watched Trixie go to Lucifer anytime she needed something. I watched him give it to her without even hesitating. He acted like her father without even realizing it,” Penelope explained to her daughter.

Chloe smiled as she listened to how the relationship between her daughter and partner first developed.

“They were both devastated. You may not have realized it yet, Dear, but that man loves you more than anything, with the exception of Trixie. I could see that not long after I got here. Lucifer and Trixie got through their loss together. It was the only way they could. The thing that made me realize that I had to leave Trixie behind was what happened the day of your funeral. Trixie didn’t attend, neither did Lucifer. Trixie didn’t want to go. She didn’t understand it. Even when it was explained to her, she didn’t want to do it. She didn’t see the need for it. I tried to make her go, but Lucifer wouldn’t allow it. He could see that she didn’t need a funeral to honor her parents. She didn’t need it to say goodbye to you. That’s when I realized you were right not to want Trixie with me.” Penelope told her.

“Mom, I know you would’ve done the best you could for Trixie if you’d taken her,” Chloe said. She truly did believe that, but at the same time, she still didn’t want her mother raising her daughter. What her mother thought was best just wouldn’t have been.

“But it wouldn’t have been enough. I know, Chloe. It’s okay. When I tried to make Trixie go to your funeral, I was thinking about appearances. Lucifer didn’t care about that. He only cared about what was best for Trixie. I heard the two of them talking in Trixie’s room a few hours later, and I realized, he was the one that would give her what you wanted for her,” Penny finished.

Chloe hugged her mother. “Thank you, Mom.”

Penelope pulled away after a moment. “You’re not angry then?”

“No, I’m grateful. You did do what was best for Trixie, Mom. You did it by realizing that you weren’t what was best for her. You gave her the parent she needed in order to get through all this. I will never forget that,” Chloe said strongly. She never felt so grateful to her mom as she was right now. It was rare that she could say her mother came through for her, but this was one of the times that she did. She did the right thing for Trixie.

Penelope nodded. “Anytime I’d visit, I’d see the two of them, and I’d see how well Trixie was coping. I believed I did the right thing, and I wanted to believe you’d think so too, but I couldn’t be sure.”

“You can be sure now. Trixie needed Lucifer. She still does,” Chloe said.

“What about you and Lucifer? Like I said, Chloe, he loves you.”

Chloe sighed. “I don’t know. I mean, we haven’t really gotten the chance to sit down and talk about everything. It’s been really hectic. Lucifer was basically in a state of shock for a couple of days. Then we had things to deal with. We had to find a way to tell the world I wasn’t dead and deal with everything involving those who were responsible, which we’re still dealing with. Plus, we’ve been worried about Trixie. She’s been really scared. She doesn’t like leaving my side.”

“Yes, I noticed that. Do you think she’ll be alright?” Penelope asked concerned.

“Yeah, we’ve spoken with someone about it. We think that after getting back to a normal routine for a little while, she’ll be okay. The point is, there’s been so much going on that Lucifer and I haven’t really had much of a chance to talk about the two of us,” Chloe said.

“I can understand that, Chloe, but I think you should find the time to do it. I think you know now more than ever that the chance could be gone at any moment.”

Chloe nodded. She did know that. She was lucky to have a second chance. She shouldn’t waste it. She and Lucifer needed to talk soon. “You’re right, Mom. We have to figure it out soon.”

“I should go. It’s getting late. I’ll stop by again in the morning before I have to leave, if that’s alright,” Penelope said.

“Of course it is,” Chloe said before hugging her mother. The two of them stood up. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Mom.”

“Bye, Dear,” she said before heading for her car.

Chloe went back inside and immediately heard Trixie and Lucifer talking in the kitchen as Lucifer cleaned the kitchen up from dinner.

“Today was so much fun. Mommy and Nana didn’t even fight once,” Trixie was saying.

“Well, certainly not. They were happy to see each other. I imagine your grandmother was as happy as we were when your mother first came home,” Lucifer said.

“I know, but they fight every time Nana comes over,” Trixie said.

“I think we’re gonna try not to do that so much, Monkey,” Chloe said. She couldn’t say they’d never fight. Mothers and daughter’s fought. Plus, her and her mother were so different that was inevitable that they’d argue. However, Chloe believed that after everything that happened, she reached a breakthrough with her mother. Things should be a little different now. 

“Good,” Trixie said.

“Is all your make-up work done for school tomorrow?” Chloe asked her daughter. Lucifer had gone down to the school a few days ago to get the work Trixie had missed, so that it was done when she went back to school.

Trixie’s face fell at the reminder that she had to go back to school the next day. “Yes. Do I have to go back tomorrow?”

“Yes, child, you do. You can’t stay out of school forever,” Lucifer said.

“We talked about it, remember? It’s all going to be okay. Lucifer and I will pick you up as soon as school’s over,” Chloe promised.

“Can’t we just wait one more day?” Trixie asked.

“No, sweetie. You have to go back to school, and waiting an extra day isn’t going to make it any easier,” Chloe said. She hated how scared her child was, but she knew Linda was right. Trixie had to get back to a normal schedule. It was the only way she’d get past this.

Just then, the door opened and Maze stepped inside. “Hey. I take it your mom left, Decker?”

“Yeah, Maze, it’s safe to come in,” Chloe said with a chuckle.

“I don’t do family reunions. Plus, your mom irritates me,” Maze said as closed the door and walked further inside. “So, listen, I think I’m gonna be moving out soon.”

“What? Why?” Chloe asked caught off guard.

“No, Maze, you can’t leave! We’re a family!” Trixie said sadly.

“Hey, nothing’s gonna change between us. I’ll be around. I just think it’s time I live on my own. I’m off working half the time anyway,” Maze said. Truthfully, she was going because it was getting crowded, and Lucifer needed to be there more than she did. He, Decker, and the kid were as close to a family as it came, and Maze knew he was worried about having to move out soon, even if he didn’t say it.

“Maze,” Lucifer said while staring at her. He knew what she was doing. 

“It’s for the best,” Maze said, returning his look.

Chloe saw the look between the two and figured out what was going on. Maze was leaving because she wanted to make sure Lucifer didn’t feel like he had to, and as much as Chloe didn’t want Maze to go, she would rather it be her than Lucifer, and given how small the apartment was, one of them would. “You’re sure about this, Maze?”

“Yeah, it’s for the best,” Maze said. 

“But I don’t want you to,” Trixie said sadly.

“It’s okay, Monkey. Like Maze said, we’ll still see her,” Chloe said.

“Take the penthouse, Maze. At least until you decide anything else you might want to do. I’ll get you the keys,” Lucifer said before heading towards Chloe’s bedroom.

“You’ve been a great roommate, Maze. I wasn’t sure it would work out, but it’s been great, and I really appreciate all you did for Trixie and Lucifer while I was gone,” Chloe said.

Maze nodded. “Taking care of Lucifer’s always been my job, even if I did swear it wasn’t anymore. As for the kid, it was a pleasure. I’m glad you’re back, Decker.”

Just then, there was a knock at the door.

“I’ll get it,” Trixie said before running to the door. She opened it to see a man in a suit that looked a lot like Lucifer.

“Hello. You must be Trixie.”

Recognizing the voice, Chloe looked up to see God at her front door. 

“Hello again, Detective Decker. Mazikeen,” God greeted.

“Lucifer, get out here. It’s for you!” Maze yelled.

Chloe walked to the door. “Hi. I’m surprised you’d knock. Come in.”

“Well, I certainly wouldn’t dream of entering your home without permission,” he said before stepping inside.

“Mommy, who’s this?” Trixie asked.

Lucifer came back out at that moment. “Father?”

“Hello, Samael,” God said.

“You’re Lucifer’s dad? You’re God?” Trixie asked surprised.

“Indeed I am, child,” God said with an inviting smile.

“Why are you mean to Lucifer?” she asked in the firmest voice a child her age could use.

“Trixie!” Chloe admonished.

Lucifer and Maze looked amused by the little girl’s brazen question.

God chuckled. “You are very much like your mother, child. I promise you; I have no intention of being mean to him.”

“You better not. Lucifer’s my dad now. I won’t let you be mean to him,” Trixie said with her arms folded across her chest. 

“I would expect nothing less of you. I swear, I have no intention of hurting him, but I do need to borrow both your parents for a short time,” God said.

Trixie’s face turned from stern to worried. God was talking about taking her mommy and Lucifer away. She didn’t want that. “Why?” 

“There are a few things I need them for. I give you my word that they will return before you wake up in the morning,” God promised.

Trixie turned to Lucifer. “Does your dad keep his word too, Lucifer?”

Lucifer looked at his father. No matter what his problems were with his father, he’d never known the being to lie or break a vow. “As far as I’m aware, yes, Spawn.”

Trixie looked back at God. “You swear they’ll both come back and won’t be hurt?”

“Yes.”

“You saved my mommy, right?” she asked.

“I did. I have done my best to make sure nothing happened to her,” God said.

“Thank you. Okay, they can go with you,” Trixie said before running over to Lucifer. “You promise too, Lucifer. Promise you’ll protect Mommy and you’ll both come back.”

“Yes, of course, Spawn. You have my word that everything will be fine. Your mother and I will return before morning,” Lucifer swore. He had a feeling this trip was for Uriel’s sentencing. It wouldn’t take very long.

Trixie hugged Lucifer and then went back to hug her mother.

“Come on, kid. Let’s go get you ready for bed,” Maze said before leading the child out of the room.

“Uriel’s sentencing, I take it,” Lucifer asked as he walked over to Chloe.

God nodded.

“Very well. Let’s go,” Lucifer said before putting his arm around Chloe. 

God touched them both and they all disappeared.


	30. Chapter 30

Chloe took a look at her surroundings. She and Lucifer were standing in a large room with what looked to be hundreds of others. God was no longer with them. Chloe assumed that he’d dropped them off and left to do whatever else he had to do it prepare for Uriel’s trial. The room looked about twice the size of the entire police precinct. There were many rows of chairs, enough for everyone there, plus probably more. Towards the front, there were two steps, plus another chair seated right in front.

Chloe turned to Lucifer. “Is this the celestial version of a courtroom?”

“I suppose, but execution room is more accurate. Sort of. No one’s actually been killed in this room or sentenced to death, but the sentiment is the same. It’s much more than facing judgment when you sit in that chair,” Lucifer said as he pointed to the chair up the two steps in the center. When you end up here, you’ve screwed up so badly that you’re going to be made an example of. Uriel’s punishment will be harsh,” Lucifer said with a smirk. For the first time since his fall, celestial intervention was on his side. Well, for the second time actually. Saving Chloe had also been to his benefit, and he could never be more grateful. 

“Were you the subject of this room?” Chloe wondered. 

“No, actually. Even when Father sent me to Hell, I wasn’t subjected to this,” Lucifer said sounding surprised. He never thought about it before, but it was rather strange that he wasn’t brought in front of his siblings to be sentenced. Lucifer didn’t feel that his transgression deserved this sort of attention, but given his punishment, his father should have.

Unlike Lucifer, Chloe wasn’t surprised by his response. Lucifer wasn’t brought into this room when he was sent to Hell because Hell wasn’t meant to be a punishment. She wanted to tell Lucifer that, but she knew it shouldn’t come from her. It wouldn’t mean as much as if it came from his father. She needed to give God the chance to explain himself to Lucifer. 

“Actually, to my knowledge, this room has only been used once before,” Lucifer said. 

“Twice,” a third voice said.

Lucifer and Chloe both turned to see Amenadiel. “Hello, brother. Dad’s going all out, apparently. He’s making sure everyone learns from Uriel’s deeds,” Lucifer guessed.

Amenadiel nodded. “I was actually given the option to come.”

“But you were never going to turn it down,” Lucifer said knowingly.

Amenadiel nodded. “As I was saying, this room was used a second time. Mom was judged here as well.”

“Yes, of course,” Lucifer said.

“Who was judged the first time?” Chloe wondered.

Both Lucifer and Amenadiel stiffened just at the mention of the incident. “Believe me, Darling, that’s a story you don’t want to know about.”

“Not to mention shouldn’t be told inside these walls,” Amenadiel added. 

“Suffice it to say, Uriel’s actions were tame compared,” Lucifer said.

Chloe nodded. She could tell that whatever happened haunted both brothers, and probably everyone else present. She had just been curious, but it wasn’t that important. 

Lucifer looked around to find many eyes glancing in his direction. Many looked shocked while some looked angry. One in particular, with curly dark brown hair and blue eyes glared at him menacingly. In response, Lucifer smirked and flipped him the bird.

“Lucifer!” Chloe admonished.

“What? Gabriel’s a dick,” Amenadiel said.

“He is,” Amenadiel agreed.

“Plus, he welches on his promises. I detest any being who goes back on their deals,” Lucifer said with a scowl.

“Everyone, sit down!” a loud voice said. Everyone turned to see God standing up front with Uriel seated unhappily at his right.

Lucifer ushered Chloe into a seat in the front and sat next to her before he began whispering. “Don’t speak unless you’re invited to. This is Dad’s show.” Even Lucifer wouldn’t dare challenge his father in this environment. The circumstances were too dire.

Chloe nodded.

Once everyone was seated and quiet, God began to speak. “It displeases me that we are back in this room for a member of our family. I’d hoped that this room would remain untouched for the rest of eternity. However, one of you has decided he is above the Universes laws, and as such, my laws. That cannot and shall not go unanswered.”

Lucifer smirked at Uriel while his eyes held nothing but hate. 

“Uriel’s sins are numerous and great,” God said before turning a stern glare to his wayward son. “You left here after stealing your sister’s sword with the intention of murder. You planned the murder of your mother, and used Detective Chloe Decker to achieve your ends. You attempted to kill her using your gift, knowing that such an act was forbidden! When you failed, you faked your death and laid in wait for opportunity to harm your brother, Samael.”

Lucifer bristled a little at the use of his former name, but ultimately decided it was a minimal annoyance to watch Uriel get what was coming to him. Plus, he wouldn’t dare argue at this moment anyway.

“You attempted to murder Detective Decker again, in your attempt became responsible for the murders of three hundred and ten human lives!” God’s voice radiated throughout the entire room at the end and made the walls rumble a bit as they shook.

“For some reason you believe that because you hid behind your gift and the actions of another, you are absolved or responsibility. Allow me to free you of that notion. I don’t know how you convinced yourself of such ridiculousness, but I sense that deep down, you knew such an argument wouldn’t hold up, as you made a considerable effort to hide from me,” God said.

“I’m sorry, Father,” Uriel said. He wasn’t an idiot. He knew from being in this room alone that he’d gone too far. He knew he’d be punished if he were caught, but he never imagined it would be to this extend. He’d seem the punishments bestowed both times this room was used. He was scared.

“I did not give you permission to speak!” God shouted, causing the walls to vibrate once more. “And do not lie to me. You are not sorry.”

Uriel gulped and remained silent.

God addressed the gallery. “This day will hopefully serve as a deterrent to all of you! I will not allow you to kill to serve your purposes! Nor will I allow you to harm each other. Samael did nothing to Uriel other than defend himself! However, Uriel felt he had free reign to attack him because Samael and I were at odds, and many of you have apparently come to the same conclusion.

Amenadiel shrank in his chair next to Lucifer, wishing he could disappear. He knew he was probably who his father was thinking about.

Lucifer wasn’t sure how to feel about his father’s lecture. A part of him felt vindicated finally, but another part of him felt angry over the fact that his father hadn’t made such a proclaimation sooner. It might have saved him, Chloe and Trixie a lot pain.

“After today, I have no doubt that all of you will understand the error in that way of thinking,” God said before turning back to Uriel. “Uriel, look at me.”

Uriel lifted his gaze over to his father, cringing as he saw the intense anger. 

“You’re a killer, Uriel, and one with no feeling over what you’ve done. You’re no different than a human who murders without remorse. The idea has occurred to me to treat you like one. To remove your wings and your abilities and leave you to the human authorities to punish,” God said.

It was all Lucifer could do not to jump up. He was pissed. That wasn’t nearly enough, not for Uriel. That was Cain’s punishment. Fine. It wasn’t enough for him either, but Lucifer could live with it. But Uriel wasn’t human. His actions were against celestial law. His punishment should mirror it. 

Chloe grabbed his hand and chanced whispering to him. “Hey, it’s alright. No matter what happens to him, we will move on at the end of the day. He doesn’t have the power to hurt us anymore. The best way to hurt him is by making him see that he failed. We do that by living our lives.”

Lucifer relaxed some, but he was still visibly angry.

“But it isn’t enough,” God continued. If he noticed his other son’s agitation, he didn’t show it. “You are my son. You should be held to a higher standard than a human murderer. But then what do I do with you. I won’t kill you, nor will I allow you to be tortured. Again, you are my son. However, you will be severely punished for your actions. You will be imprisoned, such as a human would be. I am stripping you of your powers, and they will never return. That way I know you won’t be able to escape your punishment. Then you will sent to Hell, locked in the fourth ward for no less than two centuries.”

Lucifer gasped. That was a punishment even he wasn’t expecting. It was harsh. The fourth ward was reserved for the most irredeemable souls. Souls that went there were the ones that his father had to force down to Hell personally because they had no remorse. Cain would surely end up there as well.

Uriel’s eyes widened in fear. “Dad, no!”

“Yes. I fully intended on never sending another family member back to Hell, but I realize that my options are limited. You need to learn the consequences for your actions, and I need to ensure that the world is safe from you,” God said.

“I’ll be tortured!” Uriel exclaimed.

“Yes, and in a very fitting way. I’ve arranged for the perfect punishment. You won’t be physically tortured. Instead, you will feel every ounce of unhappiness that your brother and his child felt. You will view their memories of it and you will feel their pain, only unlike with their pain, yours will never lessen. It will never be forgotten, even for a second. In two centuries, if I feel you’ve learned from your punishment, I might release you, God said.

“But this is worse than Lucifer’s punishment!”

“I should hope so since ruling Hell was never meant to be a punishment. Goodbye, son. I take no pleasure in this. Learn from this,” God said before waving his hand, making Uriel disappear.

There was silence in the room for many seconds. Finally, God spoke again. “Everyone is dismissed. I hope all of you have learned from this as well. Samael, Amenadiel, if you wouldn’t mind, I’d like to speak to you in my office please. Detective Decker, you’re welcome to join as well.

Lucifer sat in shock for a minute, reeling from his father saying that Hell had not been a punishment. What else could it have been. He was punished for rebelling against his father, wasn’t he?”

Chloe pulled Lucifer up by the hand. “Come on.”

Lucifer mindlessly followed her out of the room. Amenadiel came as well.


	31. Chapter 31

Lucifer stood with Chloe and his brother outside of his father’s office as they waited for the oldest being in the Universe. Lucifer was still shocked over his father’s proclamation at Uriel’s sentencing that sending him to Hell hadn’t been a punishment. It couldn’t be true, right? His father must have been trying to get under Uriel’s skin even further. There was no way that Hell wasn’t Lucifer’s punishment.

Amenadiel, meanwhile, was very nervous. There was no doubt in his mind that he was being summoned for further punishment for his actions when he first came to Earth. He supposed he should just be grateful he didn’t end up in front of everyone, as Uriel had. His transgressions were almost as steep. 

Soon, God walked over to them. “Thank you for waiting. Amenadiel, I’d like to speak with you first. If you’d like, we can do it privately.”

Amenadiel shook his head. “I know a lot of what you want to say to me, Father. I think it’s only fair that Lucifer and Chloe hear.”

“I agree,” God said before motioning for everyone go in. Amenadiel went in first, followed by Lucifer and Chloe. God entered last and closed the door behind him. He then walked over to this desk and sat down. There were two chairs in front of the desk. God waved his hand and a third chair appeared.

Everyone sat down, with Lucifer in the middle of his brother and Chloe. 

“I know you think I brought you here to punish you, Amenadiel, but that’s not so. You’ve punished yourself enough for the both of us.” God said.

Chloe frowned in confusion a bit. She wasn’t sure why Amenadiel thought he was going to be punished, nor why he felt she and Lucifer should be there for it.

Amenadiel was also very confused. What did his father mean that he’d punished himself? “I don’t understand.”

“You felt you’d done something wrong after the debacle with Malcolm Graham was resolved, yes?” God asked.

Chloe whipped her head towards Amenadiel. She planned to remain silent, as this was between Amenadiel and his father, but that changed when Malcolm Graham was mentioned. “Malcolm Graham?”

Amenadiel cringed as he turned to her. “I’m sorry, Chloe. I’m responsible for what happened with Malcolm Graham. He died. I revived him seconds later.”

“You what?! He almost killed me and my daughter, Amenadiel! He almost killed your brother!” Chloe yelled. She couldn’t believe this. What the hell could he have been thinking?

“No, not almost. He did die, I revived him,” God said.

“My plan was for him to die. I revived Malcolm to kill Lucifer. I thought my father wanted him back in Hell, and I thought it was my responsibility to make that happen. I was wrong, wasn’t I?” Amenadiel asked. He directed the question to his father. 

“Yes, quite magnificently, son,” God replied.

“You wanted to kill your own brother?” Chloe asked in disbelief. 

Amenadiel nodded grimly. “I made horrible mistakes back then. I only cared about what I thought needed to be done. I didn’t care who I heart on the way to that. I’ve changed.”

“Yes, you have,” God said, gaining his son’s attention. I have to tell you that I came very close bringing you home and punishing you as harshly as I did, Uriel.”

Amenadiel gulped just thinking about the punishment that might have befallen him if his father had carried through with that. Losing his powers could have been the least of his problems.

“I changed my mind because you started to change. You tried to undo what you’d started. You felt genuine remorse. You realized how disgraceful you’d been to yourself and the position you carried. That is why you lost your powers. You took them from yourself by believing yourself unworthy of them,” God explained.

“I did?” Amenadiel said in shock. He never would’ve guessed that feeling guilty for his actions was why he lost his powers.

God nodded. “Which is why I elected not to punish you. You’ve punished yourself more than I ever could. Your powers will return once you feel you deserve them back. If it helps any, I have forgiven you, as has your brother, correct, Samael?”

Lucifer nodded. He had forgiven Amenadiel. If anything had happened to Chloe or Trixie it would be a different story, but it hadn’t.

Amenadiel looked to Chloe. “I’m sorry, Chloe. I don’t deserve it, but I hope you can forgive me as well.”

“It’s going to take time. I just found out about this,” Chloe said.

Amenadiel nodded. “I understand.”

“Hold on. I though resurrecting humans wasn’t allowed,” Chloe said as she turned to God. 

“It’s not, and that situation exemplifies why. They never turn out very well,” God said.

“I broke the rules,” Amenadiel said.

“Yes, but you’ve learned from it. Now, I’d be glad to have you come home if you want Amenadiel, but I think you’re better off where you are for the moment,” God said.

Amenadiel nodded. “I think I’d want my powers back before I came back anyway. I’d want to feel like I deserved it. But may I get reacquainted with the others before I go back?”

“Yes, of course. Would you like to do that now while I speak to your brother?” God asked.

Amenadiel nodded before standing up and heading out of the room.

“I know that no amount of punishment can make up for what he two of you have suffered, but I hope you were able to take some comfort from tonight’s events. At the very least, you no longer have to be concerned that Uriel can harm you,” God said.

Chloe nodded. “I think it was the best we could hope for. You’re right. Nothing could truly be enough, but I believe in justice, and this was as good as I could hope for.”

“What about Azrael?” Lucifer asked. He didn’t want her to face the same level of punishment that Uriel did, but he was angry at his younger sister. She helped Uriel, knowing what he’d done before his ‘death’. She gave him the chance to come after Chloe and kept silent knowing someone was coming after him.

“Azrael has been temporarily relieved of her duties. Her biggest mistake was keeping quiet, which she strongly regrets. I think that plus losing her position should be punishment enough. Do you agree?” God asked.

Lucifer nodded after a minute. He supposed it would do. He didn’t want to see Azrael overly punished. She was still his baby sister. He just wanted to see her held accountable for what she’d helped create with her silence. According to his father, she had.

“I know you are still in too much pain to contemplate forgiveness, but Azrael is sorry. I hope you’ll be able to look past her mistake one day,” God said.

Lucifer didn’t say anything in response. The truth was, while he certainly didn’t hate Azrael, he wasn’t sure he could forgive her, not for a while anyway. “What now, Father?”

“I saw your face after what I said to Uriel regarding your position in Hell. I know you’re confused,” God said.

“No, not any longer. It occurs to me that you wished to make a point to Uriel, so you lied,” Lucifer said.

“I don’t lie any more than you do, son. You should know that by now,” God said.

“But you must have. Hell was a punishment. You sent me there because I dared to want to have my own mind,” Lucifer said bitterly.

“No. If I wanted to punish you, do you really think giving you control over your own realm would be an appropriate one? I know you saw it as such, and I’m sorry for that, but it was never meant to be that way,” God said.

“It had to be! You were angry when I fought you,” Lucifer said.

“Yes, but not really with you. I was angry because I realized that I was going to have to do something that I didn’t particularly want. I was going to have to let you go. You were unhappy, Samael. I’d known that for a while, but I suppose I found it difficult to accept. After you rebelled, I had to face the truth and act accordingly. That is what angered me the most,” God said.

“And you thought I’d be happier in Hell?!” Lucifer asked angrily.

“Yes. I thought being away from me and your siblings would help to figure out who you wanted to be and would allow you to live your own life as you wanted,” God said.

“How do you figure that, Dad. How do you imagine that is possible in a place like Hell?” Lucifer asked.

“Hell was intended to be a place of torment, but not for you. For you, it was meant to be a place for you to be by yourself and contemplate what you wanted. Eventually, you began to and you left. But it is my fault it took you so long to figure it out. I allowed you to think it was a punishment and I shouldn’t have. Perhaps I shouldn’t have even sent you there at all. But, I can’t take it back. Besides, I think it did eventually do its job. You now have the life you wanted, yes? Would you wish for a life that doesn’t include the humans you’ve gotten so close to?” God asked.

Lucifer looked at Chloe briefly and shook his head. If Hell was something he had to endure to find Chloe and Trixie, it was worth it. 

“I am sorry for the pain I caused you, Samael. That was the last thing I wanted for you,” God said.

Lucifer let out a breath. There was the apology he’d waited centuries for. The one he thought he’d never get. It almost felt like huge weights had been lifted off his shoulders. It didn’t eliminate all the pain and anger he’d felt, but it eased it quite a bit. 

“One more thing, son. I arranged for the two of you to meet, but that is all I did,” God said as he pointed back in forth between his son and his detective.

Lucifer looked at Chloe, who didn’t seem surprised that his father had anything to do with them meeting. He’d obviously told her. 

“I know you thought that I was somehow trying to force the two of you together, and that Detective Decker had no choice, but that is not the case. I ensured she’d be born in time to meet you when you came to Earth, but nothing else. What happened after you met was up to the two of you,” God explained.

“You weren’t trying to manipulate me?” Lucifer asked.

“Well, I certainly had my hopes for what would happen, but, no, I had no hand in how either of you felt,” Go said.

“And what did you hope for? Why did you do it?” Lucifer asked. If it wasn’t a manipulation, he needed to know what his father’s motives were.

“For you to be happy mainly, and I hoped it would help bring you home to me,” God answered.

“I thought you said you sent me a way because I couldn’t be happy here,” Lucifer said.

“You couldn’t at the time, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t hope for a time when you could be. That was my hope. That you could find happiness and eventually want to come home,” God said.

Lucifer felt like his head was about to fall off with all this information. Virtually everything he thought he’d known about his father and why the man had cast him out had been turned upside down. Now his father was telling him he was allowed to come home. He was telling him that was what he wanted. 

“I know you’re overwhelmed. You should go home and try to process it all. If you want to talk to me, you are welcome to come back anytime,” God asked.

“Wait. May I ask a favor?” Lucifer asked.

“You can ask anything of me, and I will give it to you, so long as I feel I can,” God said. There were some things he wouldn’t do, as his son knew, but if it was reasonable, he would.

“Daniel Espinoza,” Lucifer said.

That caught Chloe’s attention as well. Was Lucifer asking his father to bring Dan back. No matter how much God wanted Lucifer’s forgiveness, she didn’t think he’d grant him that. He made it very clear that he wouldn’t allow resurrections with humans.

“You know my policy on resurrections,” God said. He was certain that wasn’t what his son was asking of him though. 

“I know. Daniel’s life was taken prematurely taken. His eternal fate was the result of that. He doesn’t belong in Hell,” Lucifer said.

God sighed. “I have never removed a soul from Hell that genuinely earned a spot there.”

“But he might have earned a spot here if he’d been allowed to finish out his lifespan,” Lucifer argued.

“Dan made terrible mistakes, but he was trying to make up for it. I have no doubt that he would’ve if not for Uriel and Cain,” Chloe added. 

“He’s already been down there for centuries in Hell time. Given the celestial involvement that caused his death, his punishment should be concluded,” Lucifer said.’’

God looked between them both for a moment and considered the request. “Very well. You may collect his soul and bring it up here.”

“Thank you, Father,” Lucifer said before turning to Chloe. “I will take you home and then go.”

Chloe shook her head. “No way. I’m going with you.”

“Absolutely not! You will never see Hell!” Lucifer said adamantly. 

“I have to see Dan one more time. I need to say goodbye to him, and to let him know that we will make sure Trixie will be okay,” Chloe said.

“But…”

“Lucifer, I need to do this. It’s the only way I think I can truly move on from what happened,” Chloe said.

Lucifer turned to his father as if to ask permission. A large part of him hoped his father would say no.

“It’s up to you. I will send Raziel with you if you choose to take her with you. He can bring Daniel Espinoza’s soul here so you can both return home,” God said.

Lucifer nodded.

“One more thing,” God said before reaching into his desk and pulling out a small box and handing it to his son. “That’s for your daughter. I hear her birthday is soon.”

Lucifer opened it, revealing a silver chain necklace with an angel pendent. He knew this was his father’s way of welcoming Trixie into the family.

Chloe smiled as she looked over at the necklace. “She’ll love that.”

Lucifer closed the box and handed it back to his father. “You should give it to her yourself. You could come for her birthday.”

“It’s the twenty-third of this month,” Chloe said.

“Thank you,” God said with a smile as he put the gift back in his desk. It wasn’t exactly forgiveness, but he was being offered a chance to be back in his son’s life, and his new granddaughter’s. “I will make sure to come.”

“We should go,” Lucifer said before standing up. Chloe got up as well.

“I’ll see you both soon,” God said.

They both nodded, said goodbye, and headed out of the room


	32. Chapter 32

Once they arrived in Hell, Lucifer took Chloe’s hand. “Don’t leave my side, alright? And no matter what you see in Daniel’s cell, remember that it isn’t real.”

Chloe nodded and walked with him and Raziel. She looked around. It was dark and there were many doors everywhere. She could only assume those were cells for the souls. “I expected more fires, though it is hot enough without them.”

Lucifer snorted as he touched one of the doors. “Indeed.”

Chloe walked with Lucifer as he checked door after door. “You can tell who’s in there just by being close?”

“Yes. As the leader of Hell, I do need to know who is in what cell. Just a touch of the door will tell me who the cell belongs to,” Lucifer said.

“This seems like it could take a while, maybe all night,” Chloe said. She worried about Trixie. They promised to be back before she woke. She was going to be terrified if she woke up and they were still gone. 

Lucifer knew she was worried about Trixie. He would be too if he didn’t know better. “It may for us, but Hell moves differently than Earth. Several hours down here is like a minute or two on Earth.”

Chloe nodded, relaxing immediately. Now that she thought about it, she remembered Lucifer saying that Dan had been down here for centuries, so that made sense.

They kept searching for several hours. Finally, Lucifer found the one door that revealed its home to Daniel Espinoza’s soul. “Here we are.”

Chloe followed Lucifer inside. She recognized the scene immediately. It was where Malcolm had taken Trixie when he kidnapped her, where Lucifer died briefly and Malcolm tried to kill Chloe. 

Lucifer led the way further inside. They walked a little ways and found Dan knelt in front of a pair of bodies, Chloe’s and Trixie’s.

Lucifer gasped and felt like the wind had been knocked out of him. This was his worst nightmare. No, actually, not his nightmare. This had been his reality for six months, at least partially. With Trixie added to it, he felt like he was going to die.

“Sam, it’s okay. It isn’t real,” Raziel said.

Chloe squeezed Lucifer’s hand. She wasn’t unaffected, but she remembered what Lucifer said about it not being real and tried to focus on that instead of the image of her child’s dead body. This was Dan’s Hell. It wasn’t really happening. “Lucifer, it’s not real, remember? I’m here and Trixie’s at home.”

Lucifer turned to look at her.

“It’s okay. It’s not real,” Chloe reassured him.

“But it was. With you, it was,” Lucifer said. He looked at her for another moment before they approached Dan. Lucifer let go of Chloe’s hand and reached down to pull Daniel up. “Daniel, it’s not real.”

Dan was pulled to his feet and looked between Chloe and Lucifer looking distraught. “You can’t be here. I got you both killed! And it keeps happening over and over again!” he said before looking further down, where Lucifer’s body was.

“It’s your guilt, Daniel. It isn’t real,” Lucifer assured him.

“It is! It keeps happening!”

“No, Dan. It didn’t happen. You did something terrible, and it almost got us all killed, but it didn’t. We stopped Malcolm. We were fine,” Chloe reminded him.

Dan let his memory go back and remembered things happening after Malcolm died. Chloe, Trixie, and Lucifer survived. “I don’t understand.”

“You don’t realize,” Chloe whispered sadly.

“Many don’t down here,” Lucifer said before releasing his hold on the now deceased man. Most souls sent to Hell were too distracted by the endless torment to realize that their lives had ended.

“What?” Dan asked.

“Dan, we were sent on extradition assignment, remember? We were on the plane. It went down,” Chloe said. Her voice began to crack at the end.

Dan recalled the events and then looked at Chloe with shock in his eyes. “Are we dead?”

“Not us. Just you. There was time to save me, but you were already gone. I’m so sorry, Dan,” Chloe said. 

Dan didn’t say anything at first. He was taking it all in. It was kind of a big blow to realize that your life was over. He then thought of the torment he’d felt for what seemed like an eternity. “This is Hell.”

“Indeed,” Lucifer said.

Dan looked at him. “Y…You’re really the Devil, aren’t you? There weren’t any metaphors.”

“There is no Devil, Dan. That’s something that humans made up. Lucifer’s father never set out for his son to be seen as evil. But he is the being you’re referring to,” Chloe said.

“Wow. I ended up in Hell. I guess it makes sense. I belong here,” Dan said with resignation. He’d been miserable since his… death, but now he realized it was where he belonged after what he did.

“No, Daniel, you don’t. Your life was taken prematurely. Your fate might have been different if you’d lived longer,” Lucifer said. 

“What are you saying? You’d bring me back?” Dan asked.

“I’m afraid not. My father wouldn’t permit such a thing. However, he is allowing me to change your destination. My brother, Raziel, will escort you to Heaven,” Lucifer said as he pointed to Raziel, who was standing a few feet away.

“But I don’t belong there. This Hell was almost a reality because of me,” Dan said as he gestured to the bodies around him.

“It was, but you’ve payed enough for it, Dan. You’ve done wonderful things too. You saved a lot of people. You do deserve to go to Heaven, even God has acknowledged that point now,” Chloe said.

“I…I can’t believe this happened. It was over in an instant. I didn’t get to say goodbye to Trixie,” Dan said sadly.

“Trixie’s okay. She misses you so much, but she’s doing well, thanks to Lucifer,” Chloe said.

“I don’t understand,” Dan said in confusion.

“Circumstances prevented me from getting home right away after the plane crash. I was believed dead as well. Someone had to take care of Trixie. It was Lucifer. He’s been raising our child,” Chloe explained.

Dan looked at Lucifer in disbelief. “But I thought you didn’t like children.”

“Yes, and that is still a fact. Most children are frightening small demons! I have simply made an exception. It snuck up on me, I’ll admit. I started caring for the spawn without realizing I was doing it until it was pointed out to me. Now, the child has me and I will never abandon her,” Lucifer said strongly.

Dan looked at Lucifer with more respect he’d ever had for anyone. Maybe he should be frightened that the Devil was raising his child, but he wasn’t. How could he be frightened of someone who stepped up to care for a seemingly orphaned child with no prompting, and who was freeing him from his literal Hell? “Thank you. You’ll take good care of her, right? Make sure she’s always safe.”

“You have my word,” Lucifer promised.

“Dan, I… I’m really sorry. It wasn’t an accident. Someone wanted me dead. You were just a means to an end,” Chloe cried.

“Well, I’m glad they failed. Don’t be sorry, Chloe. It’s not your fault. Don’t feel bad for living when I’m dead. I wouldn’t have it any other way,” Dan said before hugging her.

Chloe hugged him back tightly. “I’ll miss you.”

“I’ll miss you too, but I know we’ll see each other again. If I can get into Heaven, I know you will,” Dan said before pulling away.

“Goodbye, Dan,” Chloe said.

“Bye,” Dan said. 

“Go with my brother. He’ll take you,” Lucifer said.

Dan nodded and went with the young man standing a few feet away.

After watching them leave, Lucifer turned to Chloe. “Ready to go home?”

“Yeah, let’s go,” Chloe said with a small smile.

Lucifer picked her up into his arms and flew them out of Hell.


	33. Chapter 33

Chloe and Lucifer arrived back at the house moments after they left Hell. Lucifer set Chloe down on the ground and they both looked around the living room to find Trixie asleep on the couch in Maze’s arms.

“It took you two long enough,” Maze said.

“We had to make another stop. How was Trixie?” Chloe asked. 

“She did pretty well, but she didn’t wanna go to bed until you came back. I told her she could wait, but she conked out minutes after we started watching a movie,” Maze said.

“I’ll take her to bed,” Lucifer said before walking over picking the child up into his arms. 

Trixie automatically put her arms around Lucifer and then began to stir a bit. “Mommy? Lucifer?”

“We’re right here, baby,” Chloe said before walking over. She put a hand on her daughter’s back. “Lucifer’s gonna take you to bed.”

Trixie immediately relaxed and fell back asleep.

Lucifer carried the child out of the room.

“So, how’d it go? Tell me the asshat is suffering the worst kind of torture here is,” Maze said.

Chloe smiled at her friend. “He’s being tortured, but not the way you’re referring to, though he is in Hell.”

“He better not be running the place,” Maze said with narrowed eyes. That would really piss her off. Being given the throne of Hell was not a punishment, even if Lucifer saw it that way. The little bastard needed to be tortured.

“No, he’s not. God mentioned the fourth ward. I’m not sure what it means, but Lucifer was certainly taken aback when he heard Uriel was going there,” Chloe said.

Maze smiled sadistically. “That’s great. The fourth ward is the worst place in Hell for souls. They aren’t tortured by their guilt because they have none. Their punishment is chosen by us. Actually, typically by myself of Lucifer. We’re not typically lenient.”

Chloe chuckled. “I’m sure. Well, God chose Uriel’s punishment. He gets to relive every moment of pain that Trixie and Lucifer felt. It’s all he’ll experience for centuries."

Maze grinned. “Damn. I guess we know where Lucifer got his ability to punish from. I’d say even he must agree this was good enough.”

“Well, I don’t know that any punishment will ever be harsh enough for Uriel in his eyes, but he was satisfied at least,” Chloe said.

“You know me well, Detective,” Lucifer said as he entered the room once more.

“Well, I’m headed to Lux,” Maze said.

“Maze, you don’t have to go now. You don’t have to go at all,” Chloe said.

“Are you kidding? I’ve got a luxurious penthouse all to myself for the near future. I’m good,” Maze said.

“Oh, the keys,” Lucifer said before pulling a set of keys from his pocket.

Maze took them and headed out.

Chloe looked at Lucifer. “How are you doing?” A lot had been put on him tonight. He’d learned that everything he’d thought he’d known about his father’s opinion on him hadn’t been true.

“What do you mean?” Lucifer asked.

“Things got really intense after Uriel’s trial. I know that the things you learned were pretty shocking,” Chloe said. 

Lucifer nodded and sat down on the couch. “I wasn’t expecting any of that. You were. You knew what he was going to say, didn’t you?”

Chloe sat next to him. “Sort of. I knew everything he told you, and I hoped he was going to tell you, but I didn’t know exactly what he’d say to you.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Lucifer asked. He wasn’t angry. He just wasn’t sure why she wouldn’t tell him that he was wrong about the way his father perceived him.

“Because you needed to hear all that from him. It wouldn’t mean as much if I told you first. Your father needed to be the one to tell you the truth,” Chloe said.

Lucifer nodded. He understood her point. She was probably right. It wouldn’t mean as much if she told him. Although, he wasn’t exactly sure what it meant now. “From what he said, it means that I’m really not the Devil, doesn’t it?”

“Yeah, it does. In fact, that term kind of pisses your dad off. He never intended for humanity to turn you into some kind of monster, or for you embrace that title as well,” Chloe said. 

“I don’t know what to even think about that,” Lucifer said in disbelief.

“You should take your time. It might be hard to accept at first. It’s hard when everything you thought you knew turns out to be untrue,” Chloe said.

Lucifer smiled. “Such as you believing I was speaking in metaphors and the God didn’t exist.”

Chloe chuckled. “Yeah, that was hard to come to terms with at first. As was finding out that I was created because God wanted me to exist.”

Lucifer cringed a bit. He knew there would be a conversation about when he found out about that, and it would likely turn unpleasant given how he’d responded to it. “You want to discuss that, don’t you?”

“I think we should. You found out around the time I was poisoned. You were hurt and left for Vegas after I recovered,” Chloe said.

Lucifer nodded. “My mother arranged for me to find out. She wanted me to believe that my father was forcing the two of us together. She thought that I would become angry and want to find a way back to the Silver City to hurt him. It almost worked perfectly. The only flaw was that I wanted to hurt her just as much.”

“I’m sorry she hurt you like that. She’s your mother and she shouldn’t use her own son like that. But you shouldn’t have run away like that either. You shouldn’t have hurt me by leaving and coming back married,” Chloe said, both hurt and a bit angry. 

“I wasn’t trying to hurt you.”

“You knew you would,” Chloe said.

“Yes. I didn’t want to, but I thought I had to get you to move on from me. I was convinced that you had no say in your feelings for me and I couldn’t let you be forced to be with me,” Lucifer said.

“But you never even thought of the possibility that it my choice. You just jumped to the conclusion that I was your father’s weapon against you. There were many purposes your father might have created me for,” Chloe pointed out to him.

“It seemed too much of a coincidence. Plus, at the time, I couldn’t see anything my father did as anything other than an attempt to manipulate me,” Lucifer said.

Chloe sighed. “Okay, I understand that, but I deserved a chance to decide for myself what it meant. I should’ve at least known what was going on. From now on, you have to tell me what’s going on. You cannot just run away and make decisions that affect us both.”

Lucifer nodded after a moment. “I will never run away again. The truth is, even the fact that my father might have orchestrated things between us stopped mattering when you came back.”

Chloe took his hand and squeezed it. 

“I won’t run again. I don’t have it in me to run away from you again, nor from the way I feel. In the past, I was afraid of my father’s connection to whatever I felt for you, and of possible rejection. I was afraid of that pain, but I’m not anymore,” Lucifer said.

“Because you found something that hurt worse,” Chloe said.

“Nothing c…compares to flying to the scene of that pl…plane crash and seeing what was left of it, realizing that no…nobody could survive it,” Lucifer said. His voice was filled with raw emotion as he spoke. 

Chloe gave his hand another squeeze to remind him that it was over. She was home. She wasn’t dead. “It’s okay. I did survive.”

Lucifer nodded. “The worst part was that in my fear, I never told you the truth. I never told you how I felt. I had to live with that every day.”

“Tell me now,” Chloe urged.

Lucifer looked directly at her. “I love you, Chloe. I have for a while now. I love you more than anyone with the exception of Trixie. Even if you don’t feel that way about me, you need to know how I feel. I need to know that I’ve at least done all I can.”

“You never had to be worried about me rejecting you, Lucifer. I love you too,” Chloe said before kissing him deeply, which he instantly returned.


	34. Chapter 34

Chloe smiled as she decorated the back yard for Trixie’s birthday party. They’d decided to have it at Lucifer’s house in the Hills, which Lucifer kept giving her subtle hints that he wanted to move into. He hadn’t come out and said it yet, but he made comments on how big it was and how much Trixie loved it. Both were true, but they were just gaining their footing after what they’d gone through, plus it was pretty far from the police station and Trixie’s school. 

Chloe soon noticed Ella come over. She’d agreed to come over for the party and to help set up. 

Ella looked around at the house. “Wow! I knew Lucifer had money, but damn, he’s really loaded.”

Chloe chuckled. “Yeah. Thanks for coming, Ella.”

“Yeah, no problem,” Ella said. She walked over to the table with many presents piled on it and placed her own on top of it. “Wow, it looks like you guys bought out the toy store.”

“Actually, Lucifer bought out the toy store before I even got back,” Chloe said.

“Ah, compensating for your loss. Well, as much as he could anyway,” Ella said.

“Yeah. He wanted this day to be perfect for her since he thought it would be her first birthday without both me and Dan,” Chloe said.

“Where is he anyway?” Ella asked. 

“Inside making Trixie’s birthday cake. She asked him to make her a homemade chocolate cake for her birthday,” Chloe said.

“He can bake? Wow, Chloe, you’ve got an almost perfect guy,” Ella said.

Chloe laughed. “I wouldn’t go that far, but he is pretty good.”

“Where’s Trixie? I assume you have someone keeping her occupied,” Ella said. 

“Yeah, Maze took her shopping. Hopefully, she heeds my request not to buy her a knife,” Chloe said.

Ella laughed. “So, what do you need me to do?”

“Decorations,” Chloe said before holding up a package of balloons.

“On it,” Ella said before taking the balloons from her.

“I’ll be right back. I’m gonna check on Lucifer,” Chloe said before going inside. She walked down to the large kitchen, where Lucifer was frosting the cake. “Hey. It looks good.”

“Well, of course it does, Darling. I made it. How long before the tiny demons show up?” Lucifer asked.

Chloe rolled her eyes. “Our daughter’s friends are not demons.”

“Of course they are. With the exception of ours, all children are, and a bunch of them will be crawling around our home shortly,” Lucifer said with a shudder.

Chloe chuckled.

Lucifer frowned. “What are you laughing at?”

“I was just thinking about how Hell’s ruler is afraid of a bunch of little kids,” said an amused Chloe. 

“I am not afraid of them,” Lucifer protested.

“Sure,” Chloe said with a smirk.

Lucifer scowled and went back to icing the cake.

Chloe watched as Lucifer put the birthday message on the cake. “’Happy Birthday, Spawn’. Really?”

“Why not? It’s what I call her, and she likes it,” Lucifer said.

“True,” Chloe said. The other parents that came might find it inappropriate, but who cared. This was about Trixie, not them. She would love Lucifer’s message. “I’m going back out to help Ella.”

Lucifer nodded and watched her go.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

A couple of hours later, Lucifer was watching Trixie and her little monster friends from a safe distance away as they played in and by the pool.

Chloe soon came over. “So, no less than five parents have told me how glad they are that I’m back, and I get the feeling that it has more to do with you than me.”

Lucifer smirked in response. “What would give you that impression, Darling?” 

Chloe chuckled in response before turning back to where her daughter was playing. “She’s having a good time.”

“Yes, it was an excellent decision to come here. This place has everything we need,” Lucifer said.

Chloe rolled her eyes. “Alright, I get what you’re hinting at. You want to move here. Lucifer, this house is huge and it’s just the three of us. We don’t need it.”

“Who cares if we need it? We have it, so whether or not we want it should be all that matters,” Lucifer stayed. 

Chloe sighed. “It’s over an hour away from work and Trixie’s school.”

“Not by flight. This is why I have wings. I also have a jet and fast cars that could cut travel down considerably?” Lucifer responded.

Chloe was out of arguments. “Okay, I’ll consider it, but not anytime soon. Let’s at least wait a couple of months to decide. We’re just starting to get our footing after all that’s happened.”

“Very well. I suppose I can see the wisdom in that. 

Trixie soon came over to them. “Can I open my presents now?”

“Sure, Monkey,” Chloe said. 

“Go gather the demons… I mean children,” Lucifer added.

Trixie nodded and ran over to get her friends. Once everyone was together by the presents, she started opening them. She opened her friends’ gifts first. She knew the ones from her mom and Lucifer would be the best, so she wanted to save them for last.

Trixie got some new coloring books, crayons, Barbie dolls and other small toys from her friends, for which she thanked them all. Then she moved onto Maze’s gift. She got her protective gloves and a helmet for fighting. “Cool!”

“Really, Maze?” Chloe asked the demon, who was standing right next to her and Lucifer.

“Hey. I didn’t get her the knife. The kid needs some training,” Maze said.

Trixie thanked her and grabbed her next present, which was from Ella. It turned out to be a child chemistry set. “Whoa. So cool!”

“Trixie, you’ll only play with that with Lucifer or I present, and only after we make sure you understand the instructions,” Chloe said. She’d already known what Ella had gotten her daughter. The lab tech had asked them for permission before buying it. Chloe had been a little hesitant, but in the end decided that as long as someone supervised, it would be okay. 

“Yes, Mommy. Thank you, Ella,” Trixie said before grabbing the next present, which was from Amenadiel and was some more arts and craft stuff. Then she moved onto the gifts from her parents. The first was a bunch of story books, which she laughed at because she knew it was a joke gift from Lucifer. He was giving her more material at bedtime, so she’d stop asking him to read the same book.

Lucifer looked at Chloe. “Listen, Darling, you may not be pleased with my purchases.”

Chloe sighed. “You bought her the two hundred dollar doll, didn’t you?”

“Naturally, but there are others as well. You must understand, I could not give her the one thing she wanted most, which was you and Daniel, so I had to compensate elsewhere. Anything she asked for I got her,” Lucifer told her.

Trixie squealed in delight when she opened up the doll she’d been asking for that her parents wouldn’t get for her before. She put it down before going for the next. Her eyes lit up when she saw it, even more so than over the doll. 

Chloe gasped when she saw what her daughter was holding. “You got her a tablet? How many times have you heard me complain about kids being glued to Internet Devices?”

“It’s as I said, my dear. I gave her anything she asked. I wanted today to be special for her. I didn’t expect you to be here,” Lucifer explained.

Chloe sighed. She could understand that, and it really wasn’t for her to question Lucifer’s decisions when she wasn’t there. She just didn’t want her daughter to turn into a kid that sat on her tablet all day. “Okay, but we need to set boundaries. I don’t want her on it all the time.”

“Yes, of course?” Lucifer agreed.

Trixie opened the rest of her presents, thanked everyone and then then the kids all went back to the party.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Chloe and Lucifer were outside a couple of hours later cleaning up from the party. “This is the worst part,” Chloe said as she started shoving trash into a garbage bag. 

“I disagree. The monsters running around and the yard was the worst part. Although, this is rather unpleasant. I don’t understand why you wouldn’t let me hire people to clean this up,” Lucifer said.

“Because we’re capable of doing it ourselves,” Chloe stated.

Lucifer sighed dramatically and kept cleaning. A few minutes later, he was back to complaining. “This is boring. I could’ve hired a service and we could be doing something much more exciting right now.”

Chloe rolled her eyes as she went to pick up a paper plate and throw it in the trash. Before she could though, it disappeared, as well as the rest of the mess. She turning to Lucifer, who looked just as surprised. “I think your dad’s here.”

“Forgive me if I’ve overstepped, Detective. I though perhaps you might not want to hear him whine any longer,” an amused voice said.

Lucifer turned and scowled at his father. “I don’t whine.”

“Yeah, not at all,” Chloe said sarcastically before addressing God. “I wasn’t sure you’d be coming.”

“I said I would. I keep my word. I simply thought it would be more beneficial to everyone if I arrived after your guests left,” God said.

“Right of course. I’ll go get her,” Chloe said before going inside. 

“Doing well, son?” God asked once the detective was gone.

“Yes, because of you. You saved Chloe’s life. I don’t think I’ve thanked you for that yet.” Lucifer said. No matter what his issues with his father were, he knew he owed the man. If not for him, the woman he loved really would be dead. 

God smiled kindly at his son. “It was my pleasure. Neither you nor Chloe Decker had done anything to deserve what happened, and I owed you at least this much.”

“Why couldn’t I be informed? Why did you keep it from me?” Lucifer asked. He was trying to remain civil, but he couldn’t deny that it made him a bit angry that his father had excluded him from all of this.

God sighed. “Putting aside that you would have to lie, and that goes against everything you are, if we failed, your pain would be real, and I couldn’t allow you to go through that again. Samael, I know you were in pain, but it was better than the alternative. I’m sorry if this makes you angry, but I stand by my decision.”

Lucifer reluctantly nodded. It didn’t matter now anyway. It was over, and for all he knew, it would’ve ended badly if he knew the truth. “Very well. Thank you for everything you’ve done, Dad.”

Chloe came out with Trixie a moment later, who froze and tensed when she saw who was there. 

“What’s he doing here? Are you leaving again?” Trixie asked as she moved into her mother’s side. She knew her mom had spent all that time that they thought she was dead in Heaven with God. She was sort of worried her mom had to go back. Plus, Lucifer used to say bad things about his dad. Trixie didn’t trust God very much, though he did keep his word the last time she saw him.

“No, Monkey, no one’s going anywhere. He came to say ‘happy birthday’. Come on,” Chloe said before leading her over to where God and Lucifer were standing. 

God smiled and knelt in front of the child. “Hello, Trixie. Happy Birthday. I have something for you.”

“Really?” Trixie asked, her interest peaked.

“Uh huh,” God said before pulling a small box from his pocket.

Trixie took it and opened it, revealing a necklace with an angel attached to it. “Wow. It’s pretty. Mommy, Lucifer, it’s an angel.”

“This means you’re apart of my family now,” God told her.

“It does?” Trixie asked.

“Yes. Your father is my son.”

“Does that mean I should call you ‘Grandpa’?” Trixie asked.

“You can if you’d like, but you shouldn’t feel that you have to. Would you allow me to put this on you?” God asked as he pointed to the necklace.

Trixie nodded.

God took the necklace and placed it around the child’s neck.

“It looks beautiful on you, Monkey,” Chloe said. 

“Thank you. Do you see my other dad in Heaven?” Trixie asked God.

“I haven’t had the chance to, but one of your uncle’s, Raziel, has. He assures me that your father’s doing very well. I’m certain he misses you, but you will be able to see him again when you come to Heaven in a very long time from now,” God said. He emphasized the word ‘very’. 

Trixie nodded. “I know mommy will be able to come to Heaven too, but will Lucifer? He said he wasn’t allowed.”

“He was wrong. My son will always be welcomed to return home, should he choose to one day,” God said.

“One day,” Lucifer said. He never thought he’d say that, but he would follow Chloe and Trixie anywhere. Plus, going back to Heaven didn’t seem so bad anymore. His relationship with his father was hardly wonderful, but it was better than it had been in a long time. He could actually see a point where he could possibly forgive him. 

“Does my other dad know that Lucifer’s my dad now too?” Trixie asked.

“I have it on good authority that he does, and that he’s glad to know that someone loves you the way he does,” God said.

“Daddy just wants you to be happy,” Chloe added.

Trixie turned to her mother. “So, you think he’d be okay with it if I called Lucifer ‘Daddy’ and maybe he adopted me?”

Lucifer gasped in shock and his heart leaped. He never even contemplated that Trixie might call him ‘Daddy’. They’d discussed the possibility of him adopting her, but never of her calling him by anything other than his name. He had always been content with the fact that she considered him her father. He never needed her to call him ‘Daddy’, however, that didn’t mean it wouldn’t please me greatly.

Chloe smiled. She wasn’t at all surprised by the question. Her daughter had asked a few times since she got back if Dan would be okay with Lucifer being her dad. She knew calling Lucifer that by name was coming. “Yeah, I think he would. He’ll know that you still love him too.

Trixie turned to Lucifer. “Is it okay with you, Daddy.”

Lucifer had no words. He couldn’t even get a sound out, so he just nodded.

Trixie smiled and went over and hugged him. 

God stood up. “Well, I’ll leave you now. Happy birthday again, Trixie.”

“Thank you, Grandpa,” Trixie said.

God smiled at her and disappeared.

“Come on, let’s go inside,” Chloe said.

Lucifer watched as Chloe and his daughter want inside. He followed with a big smile on his face. He was finally truly happy. He never thought when he came to Earth that one woman and her child could bring him happiness, but they had, and he would never let anyone take either of them from him again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the end for now, but I may do a sequel in the future.


End file.
